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The Praxis® Study Companion
Theatre
5641
www.ets.org/praxis
Welcome to the Praxis® Study Companion
Welcome to the Praxis® Study Companion
Prepare to Show What You Know
You have been working to acquire the knowledge and skills you need for your teaching career. Now you are
ready to demonstrate your abilities by taking a Praxis® test.
Using the Praxis® Study Companion is a smart way to prepare for the test so you can do your best on test day.
This guide can help keep you on track and make the most efficient use of your study time.
The Study Companion contains practical information and helpful tools, including:
• An overview of the Praxis tests
• Specific information on the Praxis test you are taking
• A template study plan
• Study topics
• Practice questions and explanations of correct answers
• Test-taking tips and strategies
• Frequently asked questions
• Links to more detailed information
So where should you start? Begin by reviewing this guide in its entirety and note those sections that you need
to revisit. Then you can create your own personalized study plan and schedule based on your individual needs
and how much time you have before test day.
Keep in mind that study habits are individual. There are many different ways to successfully prepare for your
test. Some people study better on their own, while others prefer a group dynamic. You may have more energy
early in the day, but another test taker may concentrate better in the evening. So use this guide to develop the
approach that works best for you.
Your teaching career begins with preparation. Good luck!
Know What to Expect
Which tests should I take?
Each state or agency that uses the Praxis tests sets its own requirements for which test or tests you must take for
the teaching area you wish to pursue.
Before you register for a test, confirm your state or agency’s testing requirements at www.ets.org/praxis/states.
How are the Praxis tests given?
Praxis tests are given on computer. Other formats are available for test takers approved for accommodations (see
page 57).
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Welcome to the Praxis® Study Companion
What should I expect when taking the test on computer?
When taking the test on computer, you can expect to be asked to provide proper identification at the test
center. Once admitted, you will be given the opportunity to learn how the computer interface works (how to
answer questions, how to skip questions, how to go back to questions you skipped, etc.) before the testing time
begins. Watch the What to Expect on Test Day video to see what the experience is like.
Where and when are the Praxis tests offered?
You can select the test center that is most convenient for you. The Praxis tests are administered through an
international network of test centers, which includes Prometric® Testing Centers, some universities, and other
locations throughout the world.
Testing schedules may differ, so see the Praxis web site for more detailed test registration information at www.
ets.org/praxis/register.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Praxis® Study Companion guides you through the steps to success
1. Learn About Your Test.....................................................................................................5
Learn about the specific test you will be taking
2. F
amiliarize Yourself with Test Questions.................................................................... 18
Become comfortable with the types of questions you’ll find on the Praxis tests
3. Practice with Sample Test Questions.......................................................................... 22
Answer practice questions and find explanations for correct answers
4. Determine Your Strategy for Success.......................................................................... 29
Set clear goals and deadlines so your test preparation is focused and efficient
5. Develop Your Study Plan.............................................................................................. 32
Develop a personalized study plan and schedule
6. Review Study Topics..................................................................................................... 36
Review study topics with questions for discussion
7. Review Smart Tips for Success..................................................................................... 55
Follow test-taking tips developed by experts
8. Check on Testing Accommodations............................................................................ 57
See if you qualify for accommodations that may make it easier to take the Praxis test
9. Do Your Best on Test Day.............................................................................................. 58
Get ready for test day so you will be calm and confident
10. Understand Your Scores............................................................................................. 60
Understand how tests are scored and how to interpret your test scores
Appendix: Other Questions You May Have .................................................................... 62
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
1. Learn About Your Test
Learn about the specific test you will be taking
Theatre (5641)
Test at a Glance
Test NameTheatre
Test Code 5641
Time
2 hours
Number of Questions120
Format
Selected-response questions
Test Delivery
Computer delivered
Content Categories
IV
Approximate Approximate
Number of Percentage of
Questions Examination
I. Curriculum, Instruction, and
I
Classroom Practices
III
II. Creating and Performing
35
29%
35
29%
III. Production
30
25%
IV. History, Literature, and Criticism
20
17%
II
About This Test
The Theatre test is designed to assess a beginning theatre teacher’s knowledge and understanding of
theatre and theatre education. Test takers will typically have completed, or will have nearly completed, an
undergraduate theatre education program. The Praxis Theatre test measures whether test takers applying for a
teaching license can show evidence that they have the knowledge necessary to begin practice as K-12 theatre
instructors.
The 120 selected-response test questions cover four content domains as described in the table above.
Materials appearing on the test reflect the diversity of theatre instruction specialties as well as the cultural and
demographic inclusiveness of contemporary theatre education.
This test may contain some questions that will not count toward your score.
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
Test Specifications
The test specifications in this chapter describe the knowledge and skills measured by the test. Study topics
that will help you prepare to answer test questions can be found on page 36. The nature and distribution of
topics included on the test are based on the results of a national survey given to theatre educators. A nationally
representative panel of theatre educators was convened to study the survey results and assist ETS’s professional
assessment staff in determining the distribution of topics on the test. Each ETS assessment specialist working
on this test has extensive experience in theatre education. Additionally, ETS assessment specialists consult
regularly with theatre teachers and theatre education professors from throughout the country to ensure the
appropriateness of individual test questions. The following is an outline of the topics covered on the test.
Question content is based specifically on practitioners’ judgments of what a new theatre teacher should know
to begin a career as a theatre education professional.
I. Curriculum, Instruction, and Classroom
Practices
A.
Understands how to select appropriate
materials and plan instruction for various
theatre subject areas
1. Selecting materials that are appropriate
(developmentally, contextually, etc.) and
reinforce learning objectives
a.
b.
c.
dramatic literature and other performance,
design, or history texts
acting exercises, improvisation games,
creative dramatics, readers theatre, process
drama materials, etc.
textbooks, videos, software, etc.
2. Planning instruction that is developmentally
appropriate and reinforces learning objectives
a.
b.
c.
d.
pacing guides and curriculum maps
unit plans
lesson plans
cross-curricular collaboration with other
teachers
3. Aligning curriculum with current standards
(district, state, national)
B.
Understands how to select, create, and modify
appropriate assessments for evaluating
instructional effectiveness and student
learning and progress
1. Formative assessments
2. Summative assessments
3. Performance assessments
4. Formal and informal assessments
5. Authentic assessments
6. Aligning assessments with appropriate
standards (district, state, national)
7. Appropriate and effective interpretation and
use of assessment results
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C.
Understands how to provide students with
learning experiences that enhance their
knowledge and skills in theatre
1. Appropriate use of performance and
production opportunities in:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
class
rehearsal
shops
productions
touring
workshops
2. Appropriate use of media
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
filmed versions of performances
interviews with artists
multimedia presentations detailing the
design process
video of student rehearsal and
performances
audio recordings of student rehearsal and
performances
is familiar with basic film technique and
terminology (e.g., camera angles, blue
screen, etc.)
3. Appropriate use of guest artists and
residencies such as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
directors
dramaturgs
playwrights
performers
designers
producers
critics
technicians
4. Appropriate opportunities for students to view
live performances
a.
b.
c.
d.
schools
community theatres
professional theatre
other venues
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
D. Understands how to provide students with
learning experiences that make theatre
personally relevant and meaningful
1. Supporting student input in the learning
process as appropriate
2. Working with students to select and create
material that is relevant to student interests
and needs (e.g., connected to students’ real
lives, communities, and families)
3. Working with students to select and create
material that addresses contemporary social
issues (e.g., oral history, ethno-theatre, political
theatre, forum theatre, feedback theatre, etc.)
4. Appropriate use of discussions, games,
presentations, dialogues, etc.
E.
Understands how to provide students with
learning experiences that demonstrate ways
in which theatre can help us explore/
understand human nature and the human
condition
1. Introducing students to dramatic literature and
other performance texts that deal with
philosophical, social, cultural, personal, and
political issues
2. Exploration of dramatic situations and
methods that deal with philosophical, social,
cultural, personal, and political issues
3. Exploration of personal experiences through
performance
4. Exploration of human nature and the human
condition through theatre
F.
Knows how to provide students with learning
experiences that foster creativity
1. Knows the steps of the creative process,
such as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
preparation
incubation
illumination
implementation and modeling
evaluation
G. Knows how to provide students with learning
experiences that foster independence,
responsibility, and self-direction
1. Supporting students in setting goals, managing
time, organizing information, monitoring
progress, reflecting on outcomes, and
establishing a productive work environment
2. Guiding students in making ethical decisions
related to goals and avoiding unethical
behavior (e.g., plagiarism, cheating, violations
of privacy, etc.)
3. Facilitating effective collaboration among
students
H. Knows how to provide students with learning
experiences that foster critical thinking and
problem solving
1. Identifying complex cognitive processes as
they apply to theatre
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
concept learning
problem solving
metacognition
critical thinking
transfer
2. Instructional activities specific to the
development of students’ cognitive processes
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
distinguishing fact from opinion
comparing and contrasting
detecting bias
predicting
categorizing
analyzing
sequencing
summarizing
inferring
decision making
visualizing
evaluating
synthesizing
creating
generalizing
2. Knows how to use exploration and imaginative
play
3. Knows the kinds of learning activities that
stimulate imagination in order to foster
creativity
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
I.
Understands how to identify developmentally
appropriate instructional activities for
students
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
1. Variables that affect how students learn,
engage, and perform
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
learning style
gender and sexual orientation
biases
culture and ethnicity
socioeconomic status
background knowledge and experience
motivation
self-confidence, self-esteem
cognitive development
maturity
school environment and culture
language use and development (e.g., first
language other than English, links between
language and culture, etc.)
2. Examples of how these variables might affect
how students learn and perform
3. Applies knowledge of human growth and
development to theatre instruction
J.
Understands how to select and differentiate
teaching methods and materials to address a
variety of student needs (e.g., learning styles,
diverse backgrounds, exceptionalities)
1. Can identify learning accommodations specific
to theatre for students with diverse needs (e.g.,
English language learners, gifted and talented,
special needs, local cultures, etc.)
2. Can identify areas of exceptionality that may
impact a student’s learning (e.g.,
developmental delays, health impairments,
deafness, giftedness, etc.)
3. Develops appropriate adaptations and
accommodations for learning about and
working in theatre (e.g., as an Individualized
Education Program team member)
K.
Understands how to use a variety of
instructional methods (e.g., cooperative
learning, direct instruction, discovery) in
teaching theatre
1. Variety of instructional methods and strategies,
including
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
direct
indirect
independent
experiential
exploration
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L.
interactive
cooperative
workshops
hands-on
small group
ensemble
apprenticeship
coaching
mentoring
problem-based learning
scaffolding
Understands the appropriate uses of
cooperation and competition in theatre
1. Recognizing theatre as a collaborative art form
and the skills required to work with others on
theatrical projects
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
team-building
listening and the communication process
being reliable
having a good work ethic
sharing
creating a supportive environment
confidence-building
2. Helping students understand and work with
competitive aspects of theatre
a.
b.
c.
d.
audition process (e.g., productions,
scholarships, college applications,
internships, professional work, etc.)
applications for various programs
theatre competitions
career paths
3. Helping students understand the ethical issues
related to the competitive aspects of theatre
a.
b.
c.
respect for other competitors
honesty and integrity
maintaining fairness and transparency
within the adjudication and performance
processes
M. Understands the importance of both process
and product in theatre
1. Learning activities that explore the process of
creating a performance
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
creative drama
process drama
role play
developing dialogue
improvisation
imaginative play
script building
drafting, rendering, modeling, building,
hanging, etc.
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
2. Learning activities that explore theatrical
products, such as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
readings and performances: in class and
elsewhere
scripts
designs
works-in-progress
reviews
talk-backs
master classes
videos and other recordings
portfolios
N. Knows how to use current technologies to
support theatre instruction (e.g., video
cameras, use of digital audio media)
3. Recognizing and discussing developments in
theatre as they relate to history and society
(e.g., introduction of female performers,
development of the Federal Theatre Project,
oral history theatre, etc.)
4. Discussing issues contemporary with a play’s
historical context
5. Exploring theatre as a reflection of society and
an instrument of social change
Q. Is familiar with the interdisciplinary
connections between theatre and other
academic subjects (e.g., social studies, science,
mathematics)
1. Influence of other academic subjects on
theatrical materials and courses (e.g., influence
of science in certain play scripts, impact of
developments in visual art on scenic design,
use of mathematics in set design, importance
of writing skills and reading in theatre courses,
etc.)
1. Use of technology in the classroom
a.
b.
c.
to review productions (e.g., videos,
multimedia, etc.)
to create and coach theatrical works (e.g.,
performances, designs, digital storytelling,
radio drama, etc.)
other teaching tools (e.g., software,
websites, blogs, student response systems,
etc.)
2. Ways of supporting other subjects using
theatre activities and processes
3. Integration of theatre methods and practices
in the teaching and learning of other subjects
2. Use of technology in productions
3. Use of technology in assessment
4. Collaboration with other faculty members (e.g.,
history teacher helping with production of The
Grapes of Wrath, science on stage, etc.)
O. Understands theatre as a collaborative art
form and its relationship to the other arts
1. Encourages collaboration in the classroom and
in productions with peers and other
professionals
5. Alignment and integration of curriculum
across subjects
R.
2. Encourages students to see the connections
between theatre and other art forms
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
P.
1. Recognizes how to align scope and sequence
with learning standards
visual arts
music
dance
literature
film and media
2. Knows the role of scope and sequence in
curriculum, unit, lesson, and activity planning
3. Knows how to evaluate student readiness
within scope and sequence and provide
appropriate differentiated instruction to meet
student needs
Knows how to create learning activities that
place theatre in a social and historical context
1. Discussing and/or having classes create
performances that deal with contemporary
and historical issues and concerns in an
appropriate manner
2. Researching and creating re-enactments to
interpret historical events (e.g., 9/11 plays,
Hurricane Katrina projects, etc.)
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Knows scope and sequence of curriculum
development in theatre
S.
Understands ethical and legal issues related to
theatre education and practice
1. Physical and emotional safety
a.
b.
c.
d.
in the classroom
in rehearsals and performances
in shops and work areas
in student relations (e.g., bullying, dating,
harassment, etc.)
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
2. Laws related to theatrical productions
a.
b.
c.
acquiring rights for performance works and
use of copyrighted materials
safety regulations for shop, stage, storage,
and other facilities
legally regulated accommodations
3. Ethical issues with interactions among
administrators, teachers, students, and parents
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
T.
V.
Is familiar with the theatre profession,
including current trends, possible career
paths, and other opportunities
1. Current trends in the theatre profession,
including trends in professional training and
development, and trends in professional and
amateur productions
a.
trends in professional training and
development, including
–– new uses of technology
–– networking trends
–– professional development through
courses and continuing theatrical
experience
b.
trends in professional and amateur
productions, such as
–– flocking, flashmobs, and invisible theatre
–– site-specific and community-based
theatre
–– readers theatre
–– organic theatre
–– theatre of the oppressed
–– performance art
–– jukebox musicals
–– storytelling and oral history
performances
–– integration of technology into live
productions
trips and tours
after-school rehearsals
individual coaching
written communications
social networking
Knows how to create a safe and supportive
learning environment to encourage student
participation within the artistic process
1. Fostering an environment of trust and
collaboration among all participants
2. Coaching and feedback that encourage
participation and improvement
3. Basic techniques for establishing and
maintaining standards of conduct for
discussions, critiques, and performance
activities
a.
b.
c.
d.
engaging all learners equitably and/or fairly
creating a supportive environment
respecting diverse opinions and lifestyles
supporting risk taking
4. Ensuring access to learning opportunities for
everyone
U. Knows how to use creative drama and process
drama techniques in the classroom
2. Career opportunities in theatre and nontheatrical contexts
a.
b.
1. Theatre games and other exercises
2. Improvisations
3. Storytelling
4. Adaptation, interpretation, and performance of
literature
5. Role-play
6. Interactive theatre
7. Devised theatre
8. Creative dramatics (e.g., acting out stories,
narrative pantomime)
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
college programs (e.g., BA, BSE and BFA)
and other pathways to the profession
resources for young actors, directors, or
designers (e.g., Actors Connection, USITT,
International Thespians Society,
Educational Theatre Association, American
Alliance of Theatre Education, Actors
Access, etc.)
theatre for young audiences
drama therapy
acting, directing, technical, design,
dramaturgy, playwright, TV and film,
management, producing
education
acting in non-theatrical contexts (e.g.,
medical schools)
9. Puppetry
10.Masks
11.Tableau
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
II. Creating and Performing
A.
Knows various methods for creating
performance material
1. Researching
D. Understands the common approaches and
basic steps involved in creating a performance
(e.g., script analysis, character development,
improvisation)
1. Script analysis
2. Writing and revising scripts
a.
b.
3. Literary adaptation
4. Adapting, editing, or modifying a script
c.
d.
e.
5. Storytelling techniques
6. Drama play
7. Creative dramatics
8. Process drama
2. Developing physical characterization
9. Theatre games
3. Developing voice and speech appropriate for
the character
10.Role playing
B.
11.Improvisation
4. Using improvisation approaches and
techniques
12.Storyboarding
5. Rehearsal approaches and techniques
Knows how to teach students to select or
create appropriate performance material
6. Understanding the importance of imagination
in the creation of a character
1. Types of material to be selected or created
7. Understanding relationship of character to
other characters in the piece
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
C.
beats or units of action
superobjectives, objectives, obstacles, and
actions (tactics or intentions)
given circumstances
subtext
researching character, place, period,
playwright, style, etc.
audition materials
scene study
class work
competition works
performance works
8. Memorizing lines and blocking
9. Listening and responding to other performers
2. Knows script development and the writing
process and how to introduce it to students
Understands the basic principles of vocal
production and technique (e.g., projection,
articulation, variety)
3. Recognizes literary merit in various pieces of
performance material
1. Basic anatomy and maintenance of vocal
instrument
4. Helps students evaluate and address their own
strengths and weaknesses when selecting and
creating appropriate performance material
2. Breath and support
Is familiar with major theoretical approaches
to acting
1. Konstantin Stanislavski
2. Jerzy Grotowski
3. Uta Hagen
4. Viola Spolin
5. Sanford Meisner
E.
3. Relaxation
4. Warm-ups
5. Projection
6. Pitch and tone
7. Articulation and enunciation
8. Dialect
9. Variety and contrast
10.Tempo, timing, and rhythm
6. Lee Strasberg
7. Stella Adler
8. Anne Bogart
9. Augusto Boal
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
F.
Understands the basic principles of
movement, physicality, and expression
4. Nontraditional casting
1. Basic anatomy and physiology
6. Understands the need for fairness and
providing opportunities for student growth
5. Creating an ensemble
2. Basic kinesiology
7. Ways to help students and parents deal
appropriately with audition results
3. Breath and its relationship to movement
4. Balance
8. Understands ethical considerations related to
auditions
5. Relaxation
6. Warm-ups
7. Movement safety and basic health concerns
8. Spatial awareness
H. Understands the importance of considering
the audience when selecting and creating
performance material
1. Selecting appropriate material for school
theatre programs
9. Tempo, timing, and rhythm
10.Basic understanding of mime, pantomime, and
mask work
a.
b.
11.Basic understanding of stage combat
G. Understands the basic elements of the
audition process
2. Knows common issues and concerns
regarding censorship and how to address
them
1. Types of auditions
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
cattle call
cold or provided readings
group or ensemble
improvisations
call-backs
dance auditions
singing auditions
scholarship
technical/portfolio
2. Audition preparation
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
performance and/or design material
selection
monologues
cold readings
interview and portfolio
improvisations
vocal and physical warm-ups
introduction/slating
importance of preparation for all types of
auditions
maintaining concentration
appropriate dress and etiquette
materials that could be required (e.g.,
résumé, headshot, etc.)
3. Running an audition
a.
b.
c.
d.
age and developmental appropriateness
meeting/addressing standards (school,
curricular, community)
3. Selecting appealing material that meets
student interests
4. Choosing and/or making material that is
relevant to a contemporary audience
5. Selecting challenging material
a.
b.
I.
material at an appropriate level
material that helps develop skills
Understands the role of the audience in
various performance contexts (e.g., traditional
play, storytelling, classroom)
1. Audience expectations and reactions in
various contexts
a.
b.
what those expectations are likely to be
how and when to play to and/or challenge
expectations
2. Recognizes the audience’s role as a participant
in a variety of theatrical contexts
3. Knows how to engage the audience in a
variety of theatrical contexts
4. Recognizes when audience interaction is
appropriate and inappropriate in a variety of
theatrical contexts
preparing materials
organizing the audition
role of the stage manager
making casting decisions
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J.
Knows ways to use performance material and
theatrical exercises for developing and
refining student skills and knowledge
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
1. Knows how to select, develop, and coach
scenes from a variety of theatrical and nontheatrical sources for addressing specific
theatre skills and knowledge
2. Selecting improvisation exercises that address
specific theatre skills and knowledge
2. Directing terminology
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
3. Adapting cross-curricular instructional
materials
4. Using various technologies (e.g., video and
audio recording) for instructional purposes
5. Using performance material for instructional
and life-skill purposes
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
K.
presentations
general communication skills
quantitative skills
creative thinking
problem-solving, developing solutions
managing life issues such as conflict, stress,
peer pressure
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
cues
prompt book
call
curtain call
cue-to-cue
dress rehearsal
green room
strike
spike
props
costumes and make-up
types of stages (e.g., proscenium, thrust,
arena, environmental)
m. areas in a theatre (e.g., front of house, on
stage, back stage, etc.)
n. basic technical equipment (e.g., lighting
board, sound board, fly rigging, curtain
types, lighting instruments, flats,
platforms, etc.)
1. Recognizes and communicates appropriate
goals and outcomes for performance
assignments
2. Knows techniques for providing effective sidecoaching
3. Knows techniques for facilitating peer
feedback sessions
4. Recognizes effective approaches for providing
individuals and groups with appropriate
feedback
5. Knows how to guide students in self-reflection
B.
A.
Understands standard theatre terminology
used in acting, directing, and technical
elements
1. Acting terminology
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
beats or units of action
objectives, obstacles, and actions (tactics or
intentions)
sense memory and emotional recall
characterization
subtext
The Praxis® Study Companion
blocking and stage directions
table work
fourth wall
composition and picturization
focus
script analysis
rhythm, tempo, and pacing
concept/world of the play
approaches or styles (e.g., realism,
absurdism, Brechtian, Viewpoints, etc.)
3. Technical theatre terminology
Knows how to observe student performances
and provide feedback that enhances those
performances
III. Production
focus
monologues, dialogues, soliloquies
stage business
pantomime or mime
improvisation
role play
mirroring
truthfulness
Understands the various roles in theatre
production
1. Performance roles, such as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
actor
dancer
singer
chorus
puppeteer
musician
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
2. Technical roles, such as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
designers (lighting, scenic, costume, props
master, makeup, sound)
production manager
technical director
master electrician
light board operator, sound board operator
stage crew (e.g., fly, running, dressers, etc.)
D. Knows the processes of theatre operations/
management (e.g., producing, publicity, front
of house)
1. Producing responsibilities
a.
b.
c.
d.
3. Production roles, such as
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
C.
director
stage manager
producer
conductor
music director
choreographer
fight director
dialect/vocal coach
vocal director
house manager
dramaturg
usher
public relations staff
box office manager
theatre critic
e.
f.
g.
2. Front-of-house responsibilities
a.
b.
E.
2. Required staff and roles
3. Collaboration among all people working on a
production
4. Interrelationship of the key elements of a
production (e.g., technical elements impacting
the rehearsal schedule or how design
elements relate to one another)
Is familiar with the production of works in a
variety of theatre genres and styles (e.g.,
musicals, theatre for social change, theatre for
young audiences)
2. Production responsibilities specific to
particular genres, styles, and theatrical spaces,
such as
a.
b.
c.
1. Production timelines and scheduling
play selection and analysis
production meetings
auditions
casting
rehearsals
read through
blocking and exploration
technical
dress
–– load-in, hang and focus
–– performances
–– strike
–– post-mortem
box office responsibilities
house manager’s responsibilities
1. Production responsibilities common to all
genres and styles
Understands key elements of production (e.g.,
rehearsal, casting, set construction)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
play and/or season selection
fund raising and/or grant/proposal writing
developing budgets
building a theatre program within an
educational context
royalties and legal requirements
publicizing a production
designing a playbill or program
F.
production of musicals
production of theatre for young audiences
production of theatre for social change
Is familiar with the use of a variety of
technologies (e.g., software, projection) to
produce theatrical works
1. How various technologies can be used preproduction (e.g., computer-assisted design,
script-writing software, set construction
equipment)
2. How various technologies can be used during
productions (e.g., projections, sound effects,
microphones)
3. Documentation or archiving of performances
and portfolio creation
G. Understands key elements of the directing
process
1. Basic approaches to directing (e.g., organic
versus structured, time management, etc.)
2. Directing in various theatre spaces
3. Play selection and analysis
4. Developing a production concept or a unified
vision for the production
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
5. Knowing the stages of the production process,
including scheduling and planning
I.
1. Age-appropriate safety guidelines and
practices within
6. Collaboration with designers
7. Collaboration with producers and/or
administrators
a.
b.
c.
d.
8. Collaboration with other teachers and
colleagues
9. Collaboration with the local community
10.Auditions and casting
J.
11.Rehearsal process
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Understands current safety guidelines for
theatre spaces, classrooms, and productions
classrooms
rehearsal spaces
shops and technical areas
productions (build, rehearsals,
performance, and strike)
Knows key elements of lighting design and
production
1. Familiar with basic lighting instruments and
their uses (e.g., LEDs, par cans, ellipsoidals,
follow spots, tracking lights, etc.)
table work
exploration (e.g., scene work,
characterization, etc.)
staging and blocking
collaboration with actors
collaboration with stage manager
continuing collaboration with designers
giving notes and other kinds of feedback
2. Familiar with lighting tools and technologies
(e.g., gels, gobos, software)
3. Familiar with light and color theory
H. Knows the design and technical skills required
for a variety of theatre productions and spaces
4. Familiar with basic aspects of electrics (e.g.,
plugging in equipment, dimmer board, load
capabilities, etc.)
1. Different skills related to various types of
production spaces
5. Familiar with basic lighting areas and angles
(e.g., key light, back light, hot spot, etc.)
a.
b.
6. Familiar with lighting cue sheets and
instrument schedules
skills, such as
–– all design elements
–– all technical elements
–– touring
related to spaces, such as
–– proscenium
–– thrust
–– arena
–– black box
–– flexible
–– outdoor
–– environmental and site-specific
2. Different skills related to various types and
styles of productions
a.
skills, such as
–– all design elements
–– all technical elements
b.
related to types of productions, such as
–– musicals
–– realistic plays
–– minimalist theatre
–– classical productions
–– theatre for young audiences
–– theatre for social change
–– being familiar with technical standards
(e.g., USITT)
The Praxis® Study Companion
7. Appropriate lighting practices for various
performance spaces
8. Uses of lighting to further storytelling
9. Use of lighting design to create the style,
mood, and world of the play
10.Unifying lighting design with the production’s
vision
K.
Knows key elements of sound design and
production
1. Familiar with basic sound tools and
technologies
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
recordings
sound board
microphones
wireless devices
amplifiers
sources (e.g., CDs, MP3s, etc.) and copyright
issues
monitors and speakers
headsets
DAW (digital audio workstation) and other
software
placement and set-up
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
2. Basic techniques of costume and makeup
design and production/application
2. Use of sound design to create the style, mood,
and world of the play
a.
b.
L.
3. Familiar with care, health, and safety
considerations related to costumes and
makeup
sound effects
recorded and live music
Knows script analysis as it applies to the
design and technical aspects of theatre
4. Use of costume and makeup design to reveal
character, mood, and the world of the play
1. Role and process of script analysis in the work
of designers
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
lighting
set
costume
makeup and hair
sound
projections
properties
M. Knows the key elements of scenic and
property design and construction
1. Types of theatre spaces
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
proscenium
thrust
arena
black box
flexible
outdoor
environmental and site-specific
5. Unifying costume and makeup design with
the production’s vision
IV. History, Literature, and Criticism
A.
Understands how to respond to, analyze, and
critique theatrical works in a variety of genres
and styles
1. Responding both affectively and cognitively to
theatrical works and performances
a.
b.
c.
2. Analyzing theatrical works and performances
a.
2. Familiar with basic types of sets and set
designs
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
box set
wing-and-drop
realistic exterior
minimalist
unit set
3. Familiar with tools and processes for set design
and construction, including safety
considerations (e.g., rigging)
4. Familiar with tools and techniques for painting
scenery
5. Use of set design to create the style, mood,
and world of the play
use of approaches appropriate to the genre
or style to analyze:
–– performance
–– production
–– historical and literary elements
3. Critiquing theatrical works and performances
a.
b.
c.
valuing and making judgments
recognizing personal viewpoints, biases,
and philosophical perspectives
understanding etiquette in various
contexts (e.g., printed review, classroom
critiques)
4. Knows how to respond to, analyze, and
critique performance works in a variety of
media (e.g., radio, stage, film, television,
multimedia)
6. Unifying set design with the production’s
vision
a.
7. Property design, selection, and construction
consistent with the world of the play
b.
N. Knows key elements of costuming a
production, and is familiar with stage makeup
design and application
written responses (reviews, articles,
adjudication, etc.)
verbal responses (talk-backs, classroom
discussions, adjudication, etc.)
creative responses (artistic works,
movement, etc.)
knows the characteristics, strengths, and
limitations of different media
is familiar with the similarities and
differences of a variety of live and mediated
performances
1. Basic elements of costume and makeup
design
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Step 1: Learn About Your Test
B.
Understands the importance of theatre and its
impact on society and history
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
1. Role of theatre in various periods and cultures
2. Theatre as it reflects and/or influences society
and history, both past and present
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
importance of religion in various theatre
traditions
influence of class and socioeconomic
structures on various theatre traditions
the role of theatre in questioning social
norms
use of political satire in various theatre
traditions
theatre as a vehicle for addressing social
issues
3. History of theatre education
C.
Understands the principles of theatre
etiquette as a participant and a spectator
1. Appropriate behavior for participants (e.g.,
actors, directors, crew, front of house, etc.)
a.
b.
c.
during rehearsals
during performances
during in-class work
2. Appropriate audience behavior in different
performance settings
a.
b.
classroom spaces
performances spaces
D. Knows theatre traditions from a variety of
cultures and perspectives
1. Historical and contemporary world theatre
traditions
a.
b.
c.
d.
Africa
The Americas
Asia and the Pacific Rim
Europe
Middle Ages and Renaissance
Elizabethan England
British Restoration
Spanish Golden Age
French Neoclassical Theatre
development of Realism
3. American theatre
a.
b.
theatre in the United States, including
musical theatre
other theatre traditions of the Americas
4. Modernist and post-modernist theatre
5. Key periods and styles of non-western theatre
F.
Is familiar with current developments in
theatre
1. Broadway, Off-Broadway, West End, and
regional theatre
2. Theatre for young audiences
3. Theatre for social change
4. Major contemporary playwrights, directors,
and production companies
5. Major developments in world theatre
G. Understands how to respond to, analyze, and
critique key works of dramatic literature from
different historical periods and cultures
1. Major playwrights and key works of dramatic
literature (e.g., Sophocles, Shakespeare,
Molière, Ibsen, Chekhov, Hansberry, Beckett,
etc.)
2. How works relate to periods and cultures from
which they come
3. Analyzing performance and literary elements
in key works of dramatic literature
2. Various performance perspectives, including:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
E.
feminist theatre
theatre from various ethnic groups (e.g.,
African American, Latino/a, Yiddish)
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
theatre
political theatre
religious theatre
indigenous theatre
Knows the development of theatre in key
historical periods
1. Classical theatre: Greek and Roman
2. Key periods of European theatre
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Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with Test Questions
2. Familiarize Yourself with Test Questions
Become comfortable with the types of questions you’ll find on the Praxis tests
The Praxis assessments include a variety of question types: constructed response (for which you write a
response of your own); selected response, for which you select one or more answers from a list of choices or
make another kind of selection (e.g., by clicking on a sentence in a text or by clicking on part of a graphic); and
numeric entry, for which you enter a numeric value in an answer field. You may be familiar with these question
formats from taking other standardized tests. If not, familiarize yourself with them so you don’t spend time
during the test figuring out how to answer them.
Understanding Computer-Delivered Questions
Questions on computer-delivered tests are interactive in the sense that you answer by selecting an option
or entering text on the screen. If you see a format you are not familiar with, read the directions carefully. The
directions always give clear instructions on how you are expected to respond.
For most questions, you respond by clicking an oval to select a single answer from a list of answer choices.
However, interactive question types may also ask you to respond by:
• Clicking more than one oval to select answers from a list of choices.
• Typing in an entry box. When the answer is a number, you may be asked to enter a numerical answer.
Some questions may have more than one place to enter a response.
• Clicking check boxes. You may be asked to click check boxes instead of an oval when more than one
choice within a set of answers can be selected.
• Clicking parts of a graphic. In some questions, you will select your answers by clicking on a location (or
locations) on a graphic such as a map or chart, as opposed to choosing your answer from a list.
• Clicking on sentences. In questions with reading passages, you may be asked to choose your answers by
clicking on a sentence (or sentences) within the reading passage.
• Dragging and dropping answer choices into targets on the screen. You may be asked to select answers
from a list of choices and drag your answers to the appropriate location in a table, paragraph of text or
graphic.
• Selecting answer choices from a drop-down menu. You may be asked to choose answers by selecting
choices from a drop-down menu (e.g., to complete a sentence).
Remember that with every question you will get clear instructions.
Perhaps the best way to understand computer-delivered questions is to view the Computer-delivered Testing
Demonstration on the Praxis web site to learn how a computer-delivered test works and see examples of
some types of questions you may encounter.
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Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with Test Questions
Understanding Selected-Response Questions
Many selected-response questions begin with the phrase “which of the following.” Take a look at this example:
Which of the following is a flavor made from beans?
(A) Strawberry
(B) Cherry
(C) Vanilla
(D) Mint
How would you answer this question?
All of the answer choices are flavors. Your job is to decide which of the flavors is the one made from beans.
Try following these steps to select the correct answer.
1) L
imit your answer to the choices given. You may know that chocolate and coffee are also flavors made
from beans, but they are not listed. Rather than thinking of other possible answers, focus only on the choices
given (“which of the following”).
2) E
liminate incorrect answers. You may know that strawberry and cherry flavors are made from fruit and
that mint flavor is made from a plant. That leaves vanilla as the only possible answer.
3) V
erify your answer. You can substitute “vanilla” for the phrase “which of the following” and turn the
question into this statement: “Vanilla is a flavor made from beans.” This will help you be sure that your answer
is correct. If you’re still uncertain, try substituting the other choices to see if they make sense. You may want
to use this technique as you answer selected-response questions on the practice tests.
Try a more challenging example
The vanilla bean question is pretty straightforward, but you’ll find that more challenging questions have a
similar structure. For example:
Entries in outlines are generally arranged according
to which of the following relationships of ideas?
(A) Literal and inferential
(B) Concrete and abstract
(C) Linear and recursive
(D) Main and subordinate
You’ll notice that this example also contains the phrase “which of the following.” This phrase helps you
determine that your answer will be a “relationship of ideas” from the choices provided. You are supposed to find
the choice that describes how entries, or ideas, in outlines are related.
Sometimes it helps to put the question in your own words. Here, you could paraphrase the question in this way:
“How are outlines usually organized?” Since the ideas in outlines usually appear as main ideas and subordinate
ideas, the answer is (D).
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Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with Test Questions
QUICK TIP: Don’t be intimidated by words you may not understand. It might be easy to be thrown by words
like “recursive” or “inferential.” Read carefully to understand the question and look for an answer that fits. An
outline is something you are probably familiar with and expect to teach to your students. So slow down, and
use what you know.
Watch out for selected-response questions containing “NOT,” “LEAST,” and “EXCEPT”
This type of question asks you to select the choice that does not fit. You must be very careful because it is easy
to forget that you are selecting the negative. This question type is used in situations in which there are several
good solutions or ways to approach something, but also a clearly wrong way.
How to approach questions about graphs, tables, or reading passages
When answering questions about graphs, tables, or reading passages, provide only the information that the
questions ask for. In the case of a map or graph, you might want to read the questions first, and then look at the
map or graph. In the case of a long reading passage, you might want to go ahead and read the passage first,
noting places you think are important, and then answer the questions. Again, the important thing is to be sure
you answer the questions as they refer to the material presented. So read the questions carefully.
How to approach unfamiliar formats
New question formats are developed from time to time to find new ways of assessing knowledge. Tests may
include audio and video components, such as a movie clip or animation, instead of a map or reading passage.
Other tests may allow you to zoom in on details in a graphic or picture.
Tests may also include interactive questions. These questions take advantage of technology to assess
knowledge and skills in ways that standard selected-response questions cannot. If you see a format you are
not familiar with, read the directions carefully. The directions always give clear instructions on how you are
expected to respond.
QUICK TIP: Don’t make the questions more difficult than they are. Don’t read for hidden meanings or tricks.
There are no trick questions on Praxis tests. They are intended to be serious, straightforward tests of
your knowledge.
Understanding Constructed-Response Questions
Constructed-response questions require you to demonstrate your knowledge in a subject area by creating
your own response to particular topics. Essays and short-answer questions are types of constructed-response
questions.
For example, an essay question might present you with a topic and ask you to discuss the extent to which you
agree or disagree with the opinion stated. You must support your position with specific reasons and examples
from your own experience, observations, or reading.
Take a look at a few sample essay topics:
• “ Celebrities have a tremendous influence on the young, and for that reason, they have a responsibility to
act as role models.”
• “ We are constantly bombarded by advertisements—on television and radio, in newspapers and
magazines, on highway signs, and the sides of buses. They have become too pervasive. It’s time to put
limits on advertising.”
• “Advances in computer technology have made the classroom unnecessary, since students and teachers
are able to communicate with one another from computer terminals at home or at work.”
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Step 2: Familiarize Yourself with Test Questions
Keep these things in mind when you respond to a constructed-response question
1) A
nswer the question accurately. Analyze what each part of the question is asking you to do. If the
question asks you to describe or discuss, you should provide more than just a list.
2) A
nswer the question completely. If a question asks you to do three distinct things in your response,
you should cover all three things for the best score. Otherwise, no matter how well you write, you will
not be awarded full credit.
3) A
nswer the question that is asked. Do not change the question or challenge the basis of the
question. You will receive no credit or a low score if you answer another question or if you state, for
example, that there is no possible answer.
4) G
ive a thorough and detailed response. You must demonstrate that you have a thorough
understanding of the subject matter. However, your response should be straightforward and not filled
with unnecessary information.
5) R
eread your response. Check that you have written what you thought you wrote. Be sure not to
leave sentences unfinished or omit clarifying information.
QUICK TIP: You may find that it helps to take notes on scratch paper so that you don’t miss any details. Then
you’ll be sure to have all the information you need to answer the question.
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Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions
3. Practice with Sample Test Questions
Answer practice questions and find explanations for correct answers
Computer Delivery
This test is available via computer delivery. The following sample question provides a preview of an actual
screen used in a computer-delivered test. For the purposes of this Study Companion, the sample questions are
shown as they would appear in a paper-delivered test.
The Praxis® Study Companion
22
Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions
Sample Test Questions
The sample questions that follow illustrate the kinds of questions
on the test. They are not, however, representative of the entire
scope of the test in either content or difficulty. Answers with
explanations follow the questions.
Directions: Each of the questions or statements below is
followed by four suggested answers or completions. Select
the one that is best in each case.
1. The play The Way of the World by William
Congreve is an example of
(A)commedia dell’arte
(B)melodrama
(C)epic theatre
(D)comedy of manners
2. The early twentieth-century movement known
as theatre of cruelty is most commonly
associated with which of the following
playwrights?
(A) Sophie Treadwell
(B) Eugène Ionesco
(C) Antonin Artaud
(D) Peter Shaffer
3. As the play Pygmalion opens, a number of
Londoners are standing under a canopy
waiting for the rain to stop. Without speaking,
the characters perform various actions that
reveal their responses to the situation. Which
of the following terms best describes what
actors playing these characters must do
during this opening scene?
(A) Articulate
(B) Pantomime
(C) Soliloquize
(D) Improvise
4. Which of the following aspects of an actor’s
vocal production is most relevant when the
actor is performing in a large auditorium?
(A)Resonance
(B)Timbre
(C)Pitch
(D)Projection
5. In which of the following aspects of theatre
did Adolphe Appia (1862–1928) make his
greatest contribution?
(A)Acting
(B)Makeup
(C)Costuming
(D) Stage design
6. A theatre teacher is introducing forum theatre
to students as a way to explore contemporary
social issues. Which of the following theatre
practitioners is the teacher most likely to
discuss?
(A) Augusto Boal
(B) Lee Breuer
(C) Robert Wilson
(D) Ariane Mnouchkine
7. Determining whether late audience members
are admitted to a specific performance is the
responsibility of the
(A) box office manager
(B) house manager
(C)director
(D)ushers
8. Which of the following best describes
contemporary plays such as Jessica Blank
and Erik Jensen’s The Exonerated, Heather
Raffo’s 9 Parts of Desire, and Moisés Kaufman
and the Tectonic Theater Project’s The
Laramie Project ?
(A) Opera or operetta
(B) Reenactment or living history
(C) Documentary or verbatim plays
(D) Puppet or Guignol plays
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Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions
9. Of the following courses, which provides the
most valuable training for a person who plans
to teach theatre and drama to elementary
students?
(A) Basic acting
(B) Play production
(C) Creative dramatics
(D)Forensics
10. Which of the following curricular units
provides appropriate content for helping
students prepare monologues for college
entrance auditions?
(A) Building an effective ensemble in
rehearsal
(B) Designing costumes to communicate
character
(C) Writing theatre reviews versus writing
dramatic criticism
(D) Casting by type versus casting against
type
12. Which of the following actions constitutes a
safety violation in a scene shop or backstage?
(A)Wearing earplugs during supervised
work on loud machinery such as saws or
drills
(B)Using wooden ladders to hang and focus
stage lighting
(C)Welding on wooden floors that have
cracks between the boards or sections
(D)Prohibiting crew members from eating
and drinking in the shop while on
scheduled breaks
13. Which of the following lighting design
techniques is most likely to cause audience
members to distrust the characters onstage?
(A)Lighting the entire stage with a neutral
wash
(B)Lighting the actors with practical table
lamps and floor lamps only
(C)Lighting the actors with footlights only
(D)Lighting significant props with specials
11. An eighth-grade teacher wants to create an
essay prompt to evaluate students’ responses
to a live performance of the play Our Town.
Which of the following prompts best enables
students to make aesthetic judgments in their
essays?
(A) “Write a character description of the
Stage Manager in Our Town.”
(B) “Explain what you liked and did not like
in the performance of Our Town.”
(C) “Discuss the universal themes in the play
Our Town.”
(D) “Describe how the characters view the
death of Emily in Act 3 of the play Our
Town.”
14. An actor is using emotional memory to
develop a character. Which of the following
questions is most directly related to this
technique?
(A) Which significant experiences from my
own life are relevant to the character?
(B) Which important actors have played this
role in the past?
(C)What prevents my character from
achieving his or her objective?
(D) What information does the play provide
about my character’s experiences before
the play begins?
15. Which of the following pieces of equipment is
a sound technician most likely to use?
(A) Dimmer packs
(B) Spike tape
(C)C-clamps
(D) XLR cables
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Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions
16. Which of the following is a component of a
load-in?
(A)Taking inventory of the theatre
(B)Creating a production budget
20. Moment-to-moment direction given to an
actor while a scene is being played is known
as
(A)side-coaching
(C)Restoring the theatre to its original state
(B)soliloquizing
(D)Assembling the actors at a table to
discuss the script
(D)give-and-take
17. In choosing a monologue for a theatre
audition, an actor should avoid a passive
speech and instead choose one that
(A)emphasizes the character’s emotional
intensity
(C)improvisation
21. Which of the following organizations creates
opportunities for high school students to
audition for scholarships to college theatre
programs?
(A)Actors’ Equity Association
(B)tells a story from the character’s past
(B)International Thespian Society
(C)uses graphic language that will demand
an audience’s attention
(C)Theatre for Young Audiences/USA
(D)demonstrates the pursuit of an
immediate, simple objective
18. Which of the following is most closely
associated with the use of process drama
methods as a best practice in theatre
education?
(D)American Alliance for Theatre and
Education
22. Lee Strasberg is most closely associated with
which of the following acting techniques?
(A)Repetition
(B)Biomechanics
(A) Lloyd Richards
(C) Neutral mask
(B) Richard Schechner
(D) Emotion memory
(C) Dorothy Heathcote
(D) Hallie Flanagan
19. A high school teacher is teaching a unit on
Bunraku. Which of the following activities is
most appropriate for helping students
understand this style of performance?
(A) Writing a monologue to convey a
character’s interior emotional state
(B) Working together to stage an elaborate,
scripted puppet show
(C) Interviewing classmates and using the
interviews as the basis for a play
(D) Making a mask, putting it on, and acting
out an exaggerated character for the
class
23. Stock characters, exaggerated gestures, and
abundant horseplay and buffoonery are most
likely to appear in performances of
(A) French farce
(B) Jacobean tragedy
(C) Romantic drama
(D) Sentimental comedy
24. Which of the following modern plays is best
described as an exploration of gender and
class conflict?
(A) Susan Glaspell’s Trifles
(B) August Strindberg’s Miss Julie
(C) Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party
(D) Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard
The Praxis® Study Companion
25
Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions
25. Edmond Rostand’s play Cyrano de Bergerac
is an example of which of the following
theatrical genres, which stresses the
importance of emotion, the natural world, and
spiritual truth?
(A)Romanticism
(B)Realism
(C)Surrealism
(D)Impressionism
26. Which of the following refers to theatrical
performances in which the audience is not
physically separated from the actors and
instead becomes integrated into the
performance space?
(A)Environmental theatre
(B)Arena theatre
(C)Collaborative theatre
(D)Active theatre
29. After finding several hand-lines in a fly system
that show wear and fray, a technical director
should
(A)abandon the system in favor of other
approaches to scene shifting
(B)replace all of the ropes before their next
use in production
(C)monitor the specific lines during the next
production
(D)perform an immediate rigging inspection
of the entire system
30. The work of which of the following playwrights
is best described as being darkly comic,
antilogical, and skeptical about the human
condition?
(A) Neil Simon
(B) Bertolt Brecht
(C) Beth Henley
(D) Samuel Beckett
27. In addition to performing their designated
responsibilities, members of the backstage
running crew should obey which of the
following general guidelines during
performances?
(A)Wear brightly colored clothing to
increase visibility to the cast and other
crew members.
(B)Signal to the stage manager each time a
task is finished.
(C)Help the actors stay focused while they
are offstage by asking them questions
about their roles.
(D)Use a low whisper anytime speech is
necessary.
28. Which of the following is one of the primary
muscles of respiration?
(A)Larynx
(B)Pharynx
(C)Diaphragm
(D)Platysma
The Praxis® Study Companion
26
Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions
Answers to Sample Questions
1. The correct answer is (D). First performed in
1700, The Way of the World is an example of a
comedy of manners, a form of drama that
flourished after the Restoration of the English
monarchy in 1660. In a comedy of manners,
society’s conventions and manners are satirized
through witty dialogue.
2. The correct answer is (C). Antonin Artaud
revolutionized modern theatre with his ideas
about a theatre of cruelty that emphasized sensory
experience over literary text.
3. The correct answer is (B). Pantomime is a
dramatic activity in which actors rely on silent
motions, gestures, facial expressions, and costumes
to convey a story or activity.
4. The correct answer is (D). Although resonance,
timbre, and pitch are characteristics of the voice,
projection is the aspect of vocal production that is
most critical to performance in a large auditorium
because it determines whether or not the actor
will be heard by the entire audience.
5. The correct answer is (D). Adolphe Appia
revolutionized stage design with his vision of
artistic unity achieved through concentration on
theatrical lighting and three-dimensional scenic
elements.
6. The correct answer is (A). Augusto Boal created
and developed forum theatre as a way for
audiences to explore social issues by actively
participating in and changing the course of a
performance whenever they disagree with its
unfolding drama.
7. The correct answer is (B). Although ushers assist
in seating the audience, the house manager is
ultimately responsible for audience control and
determines whether late audience members are
admitted to the theatre during a performance.
8. The correct answer is (C). These plays are
categorized as documentary or verbatim plays
because they use interview transcripts, court
transcripts, or other first-person accounts to
develop their texts.
9. The correct answer is (C). The typical approach
to incorporating theatre and drama into an
elementary classroom is to use process techniques
learned in the study of creative drama.
The Praxis® Study Companion
10. The correct answer is (D). A unit that discusses
casting and the distinction between casting by
type and against type will be helpful for students
choosing monologues that best showcase the
actor, regardless of the method of casting being
used by those conducting the audition.
11. The correct answer is (B). Asking students to
express their personal feelings about the
production requires them to make aesthetic
judgments. They must consider the quality of the
performance in crafting their essays.
12. The correct answer is (C). According to OSHA
and USA Local standards, welding on wooden
floors that have cracks presents a hazard that is
considered a safety violation. If someone is welding
in a location that has cracks in the flooring,
combustible materials on the floor below could be
exposed to sparks that might drop through the
floor during the welding process.
13. The correct answer is (C). Footlights and other
low-angle lighting features cast shadows on actors’
faces and are generally considered effective for
creating an ominous atmosphere that promotes
suspicion about the lit characters.
14. The correct answer is (A). Emotional memory is
a technique that calls for an actor to recall
significant personal experiences to re-create past
emotions when portraying a character onstage.
15. The correct answer is (D). While sound
technicians might occasionally use spike tape and
c-clamps, they are most likely to use XLR cables,
which connect audio equipment, in their specific
duties.
16. The correct answer is (A). When a production
team does a load-in at a new theatre, whether for a
long run or a stop on a brief tour, an inventory of
the theatre is required so that the team can
determine how the production will best operate in
the new space and can make provisions for any
needs that the theatre does not meet.
17. The correct answer is (D). Choosing a
monologue in which the character is pursuing a
simple objective, and thus ensuring that the
character is not passive, best demonstrates the
actor’s ability to develop a playable action.
27
Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions
18. The correct answer is (C). Dorothy Heathcote
created methodologies, such as the well-known
“mantle of the expert,” that inspired the
development of process drama in the classroom.
19. The correct answer is (B). Bunraku is a Japanese
form of puppet theatre. While the puppets in
Bunraku are meticulously crafted and manipulated
by skilled operators, staging an elaborate puppet
show in class would introduce students to the
basis of this style of performance.
20. The correct answer is (A). Giving direction to
actors while they are improvising or playing a
scene is a common strategy called side-coaching.
21. The correct answer is (B). At the annual
International Thespian Society (ITS) Festival,
selected thespians who are graduating seniors can
audition for scholarships. State chapters of ITS
often include college scholarship auditions in their
annual state festivals, and colleges and universities
often use ITS events for recruitment.
28. The correct answer is (C). The diaphragm is
one of the most important muscles in the
respiration process.
29. The correct answer is (D). Complete fly system
inspections should be performed by a qualified
individual or company whenever wear and fray are
detected, in addition to regular annual inspections.
Such inspections will document both normal and
abnormal wear on the system and will assist in
scheduling appropriate maintenance.
30. The correct answer is (D). The plays of Samuel
Beckett employ jokes and clownish characters with
a dark sensibility, they avoid Aristotelian concepts
of cause-to-effect plotting, and they exhibit
pessimism about the human condition.
22. The correct answer is (D). Emotion memory, in
which actors recall situations and feelings from
their own lives that are similar to the ones
experienced by their characters, is the technique
most closely associated with Strasberg and his
conception of Method acting.
23. The correct answer is (A). From its medieval
roots in plays such as Maître Pierre Pathelin to its
late-nineteenth-century zenith in the plays of
Georges Feydeau, the genre of French farce has
featured all of the listed elements.
24. The correct answer is (B). Miss Julie explicitly
dramatizes the sexual dynamic between Julie, a
female aristocrat, and Jean, a male servant, to
examine conflicts of both gender and class.
25. The correct answer is (A). Written in 1897,
Cyrano de Bergerac is considered a later example of
the Romantic movement, which emphasizes
emotion and the natural world.
26. The correct answer is (A). Environmental
theatre is the term used to designate
performances in which the audience and actors
share the same space.
27. The correct answer is (D). Members of the
backstage running crew should speak only in a low
whisper to avoid creating distraction backstage
and prevent themselves from being audible to
audiences.
The Praxis® Study Companion
28
Step 4: Determine Your Strategy for Success
4. Determine Your Strategy for Success
Set clear goals and deadlines so your test preparation is focused and efficient
Effective Praxis test preparation doesn’t just happen. You’ll want to set clear goals and deadlines for yourself
along the way. Otherwise, you may not feel ready and confident on test day.
1) Learn what the test covers.
You may have heard that there are several different versions of the same test. It’s true. You may take one
version of the test and your friend may take a different version a few months later. Each test has different
questions covering the same subject area, but both versions of the test measure the same skills and
content knowledge.
You’ll find specific information on the test you’re taking on page 5, which outlines the content categories
that the test measures and what percentage of the test covers each topic. Visit www.ets.org/praxis/
testprep for information on other Praxis tests.
2) Assess how well you know the content.
Research shows that test takers tend to overestimate their preparedness—this is why some test takers
assume they did well and then find out they did not pass.
The Praxis tests are demanding enough to require serious review of likely content, and the longer you’ve
been away from the content, the more preparation you will most likely need. If it has been longer than a few
months since you’ve studied your content area, make a concerted effort to prepare.
3) Collect study materials.
Gathering and organizing your materials for review are critical steps in preparing for the Praxis tests. Consider
the following reference sources as you plan your study:
• D
id you take a course in which the content area was covered? If yes, do you still have your books or
your notes?
• D
oes your local library have a high school-level textbook in this area? Does your college library have a
good introductory college-level textbook in this area?
Practice materials are available for purchase for many Praxis tests at www.ets.org/praxis/testprep. Test
preparation materials include sample questions and answers with explanations.
4) Plan and organize your time.
You can begin to plan and organize your time while you are still collecting materials. Allow yourself plenty of
review time to avoid cramming new material at the end. Here are a few tips:
• C
hoose a test date far enough in the future to leave you plenty of preparation time. Test dates can be
found at www.ets.org/praxis/register/centers_dates.
• Work backward from that date to figure out how much time you will need for review.
• Set a realistic schedule—and stick to it.
The Praxis® Study Companion
29
Step 4: Determine Your Strategy for Success
5) Practice explaining the key concepts.
Praxis tests with constructed-response questions assess your ability to explain material effectively. As a
teacher, you’ll need to be able to explain concepts and processes to students in a clear, understandable
way. What are the major concepts you will be required to teach? Can you explain them in your own words
accurately, completely, and clearly? Practice explaining these concepts to test your ability to effectively
explain what you know.
6) Understand how questions will be scored.
Scoring information can be found on page 60.
7) Develop a study plan.
A study plan provides a road map to prepare for the Praxis tests. It can help you understand what skills and
knowledge are covered on the test and where to focus your attention. Use the study plan template on page
34 to organize your efforts.
And most important—get started!
Would a Study Group Work for You?
Using this guide as part of a study group
People who have a lot of studying to do sometimes find it helpful to form a study group with others who are
working toward the same goal. Study groups give members opportunities to ask questions and get detailed
answers. In a group, some members usually have a better understanding of certain topics, while others in the
group may be better at other topics. As members take turns explaining concepts to one another, everyone
builds self-confidence.
If the group encounters a question that none of the members can answer well, the group can go to a teacher or
other expert and get answers efficiently. Because study groups schedule regular meetings, members study in a
more disciplined fashion. They also gain emotional support. The group should be large enough so that multiple
people can contribute different kinds of knowledge, but small enough so that it stays focused. Often, three to
six members is a good size.
Here are some ways to use this guide as part of a study group:
• P
lan the group’s study program. Parts of the study plan template, beginning on page 34, can help
to structure your group’s study program. By filling out the first five columns and sharing the worksheets,
everyone will learn more about your group’s mix of abilities and about the resources, such as textbooks, that
members can share with the group. In the sixth column (“Dates I will study the content”), you can create an
overall schedule for your group’s study program.
• P
lan individual group sessions. At the end of each session, the group should decide what specific
topics will be covered at the next meeting and who will present each topic. Use the topic headings and
subheadings in the Test at a Glance table on page 5 to select topics, and then select practice questions,
beginning on page 22.
• P
repare your presentation for the group. When it’s your turn to present, prepare something that is
more than a lecture. Write two or three original questions to pose to the group. Practicing writing actual
questions can help you better understand the topics covered on the test as well as the types of questions
you will encounter on the test. It will also give other members of the group extra practice at answering
questions.
The Praxis® Study Companion
30
Step 4: Determine Your Strategy for Success
• T
ake a practice test together. The idea of a practice test is to simulate an actual administration of the
test, so scheduling a test session with the group will add to the realism and may also help boost everyone’s
confidence. Remember, complete the practice test using only the time that will be allotted for that test on
your administration day.
• L earn from the results of the practice test. Review the results of the practice test, including the
number of questions answered correctly in each content category. For tests that contain constructedresponse questions, look at the Sample Test Questions section, which also contain sample responses to
those questions and shows how they were scored. Then try to follow the same guidelines that the test
scorers use.
• B
e as critical as you can. You’re not doing your study partner(s) any favors by letting them get away with
an answer that does not cover all parts of the question adequately.
• B
e specific. Write comments that are as detailed as the comments about the sample responses. Indicate
where and how your study partner(s) are doing an inadequate job of answering the question. Writing notes
in the margins of the answer sheet may also help.
• B
e supportive. Include comments that point out what your study partner(s) got right.
Then plan one or more study sessions based on aspects of the questions on which group members performed
poorly. For example, each group member might be responsible for rewriting one paragraph of a response in
which someone else did an inadequate job.
Whether you decide to study alone or with a group, remember that the best way to prepare is to have an
organized plan. The plan should set goals based on specific topics and skills that you need to learn, and it
should commit you to a realistic set of deadlines for meeting those goals. Then you need to discipline yourself
to stick with your plan and accomplish your goals on schedule.
The Praxis® Study Companion
31
Step 5: Develop Your Study Plan
5. Develop Your Study Plan
Develop a personalized study plan and schedule
Planning your study time is important because it will help ensure that you review all content areas covered on the
test. Use the sample study plan below as a guide. It shows a plan for the Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading
test. Following that is a study plan template that you can fill out to create your own plan. Use the “Learn about Your
Test” and “Test Specifications" information beginning on page 5 to help complete it.
Use this worksheet to:
1. Define Content Areas: List the most important content areas for your test as defined in chapter 1.
2. Determine Strengths and Weaknesses: Identify your strengths and weaknesses in each content area.
3. Identify Resources: Identify the books, courses, and other resources you plan to use for each content area.
4. Study: Create and commit to a schedule that provides for regular study periods.
Praxis Test Name (Test Code): Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading (5712)
Test Date:
9/15/15
Description
of content
Content covered
How well do
I know the
content?
(scale 1–5)
What
resources do I
have/need for
the content?
Where can I
find the
resources I
need?
Dates I will
study the
content
Date
completed
Key Ideas and Details
Draw inferences and
implications from the
directly stated content
of a reading selection
3
Middle school
English
textbook
College library,
middle school
teacher
7/15/15
7/15/15
Determining ideas
Identify summaries or
paraphrases of the main
idea or primary purpose
of a reading selection
3
Middle school
English
textbook
College library,
middle school
teacher
7/17/15
7/17/15
Determining ideas
Identify summaries
or paraphrases of the
supporting ideas and
specific details in a
reading selection
3
Middle and
high school
English
textbook
College library,
middle and
high school
teachers
7/20/15
7/21/15
4
Middle and
high school
English
textbook
College library,
middle and
high school
teachers
7/25/15
7/26/15
3
Middle and
high school
English
textbook,
dictionary
College library,
middle and
high school
teachers
7/25/15
7/27/15
5
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/1/15
8/1/15
5
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/1/15
8/1/15
Close reading
Craft, Structure, and Language Skills
Interpreting tone
Determine the author’s
attitude toward material
discussed in a reading
selection
Analysis of
structure
Identify key transition
words and phrases in a
reading selection and
how they are used
Analysis of
structure
Identify how a reading
selection is organized
in terms of cause/effect,
compare/contrast,
problem/solution, etc.
Author’s purpose
Determine the role that
an idea, reference, or
piece of information
plays in an author’s
discussion or argument
(continued on next page)
The Praxis® Study Companion
32
Step 5: Develop Your Study Plan
Content covered
Language in
different contexts
Description
of content
Determine whether
information presented
in a reading selection
is presented as fact or
opinion
Contextual
meaning
Identify the meanings of
words as they are used in
the context of a reading
selection
Figurative
language
Understand figurative
language and nuances in
word meanings
Vocabulary range
Understand a range
of words and phrases
sufficient for reading at
the college and career
readiness level
How well do
I know the
content?
(scale 1–5)
What
resources do I
have/need for
the content?
Where can I
find the
resources I
need?
Dates
I will
study the
content
Date
completed
4
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/1/15
8/1/15
2
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/1/15
8/1/15
2
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/8/15
8/8/15
2
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/15/15
8/17/15
2
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/22/15
8/24/15
4
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/24/15
8/24/15
3
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/27/15
8/27/15
5
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/28/15
8/30/15
5
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
8/30/15
8/31/15
4
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
9/3/15
9/4/15
2
High school
textbook,
college course
notes
College library,
course notes,
high school
teacher, college
professor
9/5/15
9/6/15
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Analyze content
presented in diverse
Diverse media and media and formats,
formats
including visually and
quantitatively, as well as
in words
Evaluation of
arguments
Identify the relationship
among ideas presented
in a reading selection
Evaluation of
arguments
Determine whether
evidence strengthens,
weakens, or is relevant
to the arguments in a
reading selection
Evaluation of
arguments
Determine the logical
assumptions upon
which an argument or
conclusion is based
Evaluation of
arguments
Draw conclusions from
material presented in a
reading selection
Comparison of
texts
Recognize or predict
ideas or situations that
are extensions of or
similar to what has been
presented in a reading
selection
Comparison of
texts
Apply ideas presented
in a reading selection to
other situations
The Praxis® Study Companion
33
Step 5: Develop Your Study Plan
My Study Plan
Use this worksheet to:
1. Define Content Areas: List the most important content areas for your test as defined in chapter 1.
2. Determine Strengths and Weaknesses: Identify your strengths and weaknesses in each content area.
3. Identify Resources: Identify the books, courses, and other resources you plan to use for each content area.
4. Study: Create and commit to a schedule that provides for regular study periods.
Praxis Test Name (Test Code): ____________________________________________________________
Test Date:
_____________
Content covered
Description
of content
How well do
I know the
content?
(scale 1–5)
What
resources do I
have/need for
this content?
Where can I
find the
resources I
need?
Dates I will
study this
content
Date
completed
(continued on next page)
The Praxis® Study Companion
34
Step 5: Develop Your Study Plan
Content covered
The Praxis® Study Companion
Description
of content
How well do
I know the
content?
(scale 1–5)
What
resources do I
have/need for
the content?
Where can I
find the
resources I
need?
Dates I will
study the
content
Date
completed
35
Step 6: Review Study Topics
6. Review Study Topics
Review study topics with questions for discussion
Using the Study Topics That Follow
The Theatre test is designed to measure the knowledge and skills necessary for a beginning teacher.
This chapter is intended to help you organize your preparation for the test and to give you a clear indication of
the depth and breadth of the knowledge required for success on the test.
Virtually all accredited programs address the topics covered by the test; however, you are not expected to be an
expert on all aspects of the topics that follow.
You are likely to find that the topics that follow are covered by most introductory textbooks. Consult materials
and resources, including lecture and laboratory notes, from all your coursework. You should be able to match up
specific topics and subtopics with what you have covered in your courses.
Try not to be overwhelmed by the volume and scope of content knowledge in this guide. Although a specific
term may not seem familiar as you see it here, you might find you can understand it when applied to a real-life
situation. Many of the items on the actual test will provide you with a context to apply to these topics or terms.
Discussion Areas
Interspersed throughout the study topics are discussion areas, presented as open-ended questions or
statements. These discussion areas are intended to help test your knowledge of fundamental concepts and your
ability to apply those concepts to situations in the classroom or the real world. Most of the areas require you
to combine several pieces of knowledge to formulate an integrated understanding and response. If you spend
time on these areas, you will gain increased understanding and facility with the subject matter covered on the
test. You may want to discuss these areas and your answers with a teacher or mentor.
Note that this study companion does not provide answers for the discussion area questions, but thinking about the
answers to them will help improve your understanding of fundamental concepts and will probably help you
answer a broad range of questions on the test.
The Praxis® Study Companion
36
Step 6: Review Study Topics
Study Topics
3. Performance assessments
An overview of the areas covered on the test, along
with their subareas, follows.
5. Authentic assessments
4. Formal and informal assessments
6. Aligning assessments with appropriate
standards (district, state, national)
I. Curriculum, Instruction, and Classroom
Practices
A.
7. Appropriate and effective interpretation and
use of assessment results
Understands how to select appropriate
materials and plan instruction for various
theatre subject areas
Discussion areas
• Describe how formative and summative
assessments could be used in theatre units
such as improvisation, playwriting, acting, set
construction, and scenic design.
1. Selecting materials that are appropriate
(developmentally, contextually, etc.) and
reinforce learning objectives
2. Planning instruction that is developmentally
appropriate and reinforces learning objectives
• Describe how you would use authentic
assessment in more focused units, such as on
Elizabethan drama or the use of iambic
pentameter in Shakespeare.
3. Aligning curriculum with current standards
(district, state, national)
• Explain when you would use the different
assessments in the teaching of your state’s
acting standards.
Discussion areas
• Identify specific dramatic texts for rehearsal
at the elementary, middle, and high school
levels.
• Describe how you would use formative
assessment to reflect on your lessons.
• Identify specific nonliterary texts to teach
design principles at the elementary, middle,
and high school levels.
• What are some ways in which peer
assessments can be incorporated into
theatre lessons?
• Identify best practices for incorporating
various improvisational and experiential
lessons to promote a safe and comfortable
space for students to learn.
• Explain how the principles of playwriting
relate to curriculum and current standards.
• Explain what design principles the standards
require students to understand and how
such principles would fit into a unit plan.
• What are some of the standard texts in which
to find acting exercises?
• How do lecture-based lesson plans vary from
experiential lesson plans?
• What are some of the curriculum elements
shared by theatre and STEM subjects?
B.
Understands how to select, create, and
modify appropriate assessments for
evaluating instructional effectiveness and
student learning and progress
• How can company-style productions be
used for authentic assessments?
• What are some of the criteria for assessing
audition monologues?
C.
Understands how to provide students with
learning experiences that enhance their
knowledge and skills in theatre
1. Appropriate use of performance and
production opportunities
2. Appropriate use of media
3. Appropriate use of guest artists and
residencies
4. Appropriate opportunities for students to
view live performances
Discussion areas
• Identify funding opportunities in your state
and community to bring artists to your
school.
1. Formative assessments
2. Summative assessments
The Praxis® Study Companion
37
Step 6: Review Study Topics
• Explain how to prepare students for field
trips to live performances by professional
companies and how to discuss these
performances in class.
E.
• What is a comprehensive list of opportunities
available to students in producing a play?
1. Introducing students to dramatic literature
and other performance texts that deal with
philosophical, social, cultural, personal, and
political issues
• What are some professional sources for
finding qualified guest artists?
2. Exploration of dramatic situations and
methods that deal with philosophical, social,
cultural, personal, and political issues
• What are the main types of theatrical
experiences in the United States that
students should be exposed to?
3. Exploration of personal experiences through
performance
D. Understands how to provide students with
learning experiences that make theatre
personally relevant and meaningful
4. Exploration of human nature and the human
condition through theatre
Discussion areas
1. Supporting student input in the learning
process as appropriate
• Update a classical piece of theatre to address
contemporary social issues.
2. Working with students to select and create
material that is relevant to student interests
and needs (e.g., connected to students’ real
lives, communities, and families)
• Explain how several different plays can be
seen as reflections of their times.
3. Working with students to select and create
material that addresses contemporary social
issues (e.g., oral history, ethno-theatre, political
theatre, forum theatre, feedback theatre, etc.)
• Describe how a theatrical production
changed the way you viewed your personal
history.
• Identify age-appropriate theatre texts to
teach cultural issues to elementary students.
4. Appropriate use of discussions, games,
presentations, dialogues, etc.
• Demonstrate ways to dramatize a text that
explores human nature, such as Aesop’s
Fables.
Discussion areas
• Describe a process of introducing students
to critical responses to their work and the
work of their peers.
• Identify several playwrights and directors
throughout history who have engaged in
political theatre. How has theatre been used
as subversive or coercive medium of
expression?
• Explain how to incorporate “I poems” or other
student-centered writings into scene work.
• Identify acting techniques that incorporate
students’ personal histories and cultural
background into scene work.
• How have alternative forms of theatre, such
as forum theatre, joker, and invisible theatre,
been used for social and political awareness?
• Describe several socially conscious theatre
companies and their role in bringing issues
to the forefront of public awareness.
• What are some of the ways to help students
gather performable material that is relevant
to their lives?
• Who are some of the theatre artists and
theorists who are known for creating
material collaboratively?
The Praxis® Study Companion
Understands how to provide students with
learning experiences that demonstrate ways
in which theatre can help us explore/
understand human nature and the human
condition
• How can journaling be used as a technique
in the theatre classroom and in rehearsal and
production?
F.
Knows how to provide students with learning
experiences that foster creativity
1. Knows the steps of the creative process
2. Knows how to use exploration and
imaginative play
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Step 6: Review Study Topics
3. Knows the kinds of learning activities that
stimulate imagination in order to foster
creativity
Discussion areas
• Describe ways to utilize costumes in the
theatre classroom to encourage creativity.
• Explain how improvisation can be used to
deepen characterization.
• Compare the improvisational techniques of
Viola Spolin and Keith Johnstone.
• Describe Konstantin Stanislavski’s approach
to acting and actor training.
• Distinguish acting techniques for students in
high school from those in earlier grades.
• Describe lesson plans with open-ended
objectives that allow for creative flow and
spontaneous impulse.
• What are some activities that Augusto Boal
used to developed his socially focused
theatre?
• How can the establishment of boundaries
foster creativity?
G. Knows how to provide students with learning
experiences that foster independence,
responsibility, and self-direction
1. Supporting students in setting goals, managing
time, organizing information, monitoring
progress, reflecting on outcomes, and
establishing a productive work environment
2. Guiding students in making ethical decisions
related to goals and avoiding unethical
behavior (e.g., plagiarism, cheating, violations
of privacy, etc.)
3. Facilitating effective collaboration among
students
Discussion areas
• List the components of an effective rehearsal
schedule?
• Demonstrate how directors run a rehearsal
efficiently and effectively.
• Explain how to evaluate in-class scenes and
exercises.
• Demonstrate how to give and receive
effective direction and constructive criticism.
• In what ways could digital tools such as
blogs help students to monitor their
progress?
• What are the parameters of effective and
positive peer feedback?
• What are the typical hierarchies in a theatre
production or organization, and how will
adopting them help students to collaborate
appropriately?
H. Knows how to provide students with learning
experiences that foster critical thinking and
problem solving
1. Identifying complex cognitive processes as
they apply to theatre
2. Instructional activities specific to the
development of students’ cognitive processes
Discussion areas
• Identify the steps needed to write a
successful play.
• Describe how a set designer creates an
environment for performance, from script
analysis to opening night.
• Describe how a dramaturg contributes to a
production by researching the history of a
play or company.
• Describe how scaffolding can be used in the
rehearsal process.
• Identify individual, small-group, and wholegroup activities in the production process.
• Describe how a lighting design for a specific
scene can be turned into a geometry and
physics problem.
• What are some of the methods of evaluation
students need to acquire to avoid an analysis
of plays that is based solely on personal
taste?
• What specific steps can a teacher take to
help students identify a thesis statement in
critical writing?
• Describe how all of the artists of the theatre
collaborate to create a theatrical work.
The Praxis® Study Companion
39
Step 6: Review Study Topics
I.
Discussion areas
Understands how to identify developmentally
appropriate instructional activities for
students
• Describe specific teaching tools that can be
used to teach English-language learners in
the theatre classroom.
1. Variables that affect how students learn,
engage, and perform
• Describe the challenges encountered when
working with gifted and talented students in
a theatre classroom that has students of
mixed levels of ability.
2. Examples of how these variables might affect
how students learn and perform
3. Applies knowledge of human growth and
development to theatre instruction
• Identify several methods of including deaf
students in theatre exercises.
Discussion areas
• Explain why a person with good
interpersonal skills functions well as a stage
manager.
• Explain techniques for keeping students with
various types of attention-deficit/
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involved in the
theatre classroom.
• Describe Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs in relation to creating a safe
environment for classroom exploration and
rehearsal.
• Describe methods used to help students
with dyslexia approach a text in the theatre
classroom.
• Describe a progression of acting exercises
that might span a four-year high school
theatre program.
• What are some of the casting concerns that
emanate from considerations of race and
gender?
• What are some signs young actors display
when they are uncomfortable with dramatic
material?
J.
Understands how to select and differentiate
teaching methods and materials to address a
variety of student needs (e.g., learning styles,
diverse backgrounds, exceptionalities)
• What are some of the aspects of theatre that
may encourage student with autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) to participate in
theatrical activities in the school setting?
K.
Understands how to use a variety of
instructional methods (e.g., cooperative
learning, direct instruction, discovery) in
teaching theatre
1. Variety of instructional methods and strategies
Discussion areas
• Describe how cooperative learning can be
used in a lesson on production meetings.
1. Can identify learning accommodations
specific to theatre for students with diverse
needs (e.g., English language learners, gifted
and talented, special needs, local cultures,
etc.)
• Describe how discovery is a part of the
creative process in character development.
2. Can identify areas of exceptionality that may
impact a student’s learning (e.g.,
developmental delays, health impairments,
deafness, giftedness, etc.)
• Explain how the Socratic method can be
used to analyze a performance.
3. Develops appropriate adaptations and
accommodations for learning about and
working in theatre (e.g., as an Individualized
Education Program team member)
• Explain how a lesson in playwriting can be
taught through direct instruction.
• Identify various instructional methods that
can be used in the process of producing a
play.
• List three different instructional methods
that can be used to teach model making
during a unit on scene design.
• What are some ways to use peer lecturing in
the theatre classroom?
The Praxis® Study Companion
40
Step 6: Review Study Topics
L.
Understands the appropriate uses of
cooperation and competition in theatre
• Explain how improvisation can be used to
deepen understanding of a character.
1. Recognizing theatre as a collaborative art
form and the skills required to work with
others on theatrical projects
• Explain how tableaux can be used to tell a
story.
2. Helping students understand and work with
competitive aspects of theatre
• Describe an effective production
management plan, from first concept
meeting to opening night.
3. Helping students understand the ethical
issues related to the competitive aspects of
theatre
Discussion areas
• Describe how theatre is conceived as a
collaborative art form.
• Describe how all the members of a cast and
crew collaborate to ensure the success of a
production.
• Identify ways students can work together to
create scenes in class.
• Describe best practices in the audition
process and how they have evolved.
• Identify various audition techniques (e.g.,
cold readings, prepared monologues, and
improvisations) and explain how students
might best prepare for each.
• Identify the pitfalls of typecasting, and
describe its prevalence in professional and
commercial theatre.
• List several strategies and exercises that will
help students understand the process of
creative collaboration.
M. Understands the importance of both process
and product in theatre
1. Learning activities that explore the process of
creating a performance
2. Learning activities that explore theatrical
products
Discussion areas
• Explain how to create masks from a variety of
materials.
• Identify different lighting instruments and
their purposes.
• Name and describe the components of
various flats and platforms.
The Praxis® Study Companion
• What are some exercises that will effectively
foster creativity during regular rehearsals?
• What are the most important milestones for
rehearsing a successful production?
N. Knows how to use current technologies to
support theatre instruction (e.g., video
cameras, use of digital audio media)
1. Use of technology in the classroom
2. Use of technology in productions
3. Use of technology in assessment
Discussion areas
• Explain the value of technical elements to
the audience’s enjoyment of a production.
• Explain how costumes, sets, lighting, and
sound can each further storytelling in the
theatre.
• Explain how recording of scenes and
monologues in class can be used effectively
to critique classwork.
• What computer software platforms are
widely used to create and implement
designs in all aspects of theatre production
(e.g., sets, lights, costumes, sound,
projections)?
• What are some of the best online tools
available for collaboration in the areas of
dramaturgy, production management,
marketing and publicity, and box office and
ticketing operations?
O. Understands theatre as a collaborative art
form and its relationship to the other arts
1. Encourages collaboration in the classroom
and in productions with peers and other
professionals
2. Encourages students to see the connections
between theatre and other art forms
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Step 6: Review Study Topics
Discussion areas
• Describe how various design team members
work together effectively during a
production meeting.
• Explain how performers, directors, and stage
management interact during a rehearsal.
• Identify various ways scientific
understanding can be supported in
theatrical work.
• Describe the work of reenactors to bring
history alive for student audiences.
• Identify pivotal moments of social change in
the history of theatre.
• Evaluate Shakespeare’s Richard III or Julius
Caesar in relation to current events.
• Explain how movement skills are helpful to
the acting student.
• Explain Ibsen’s A Doll’s House as a reflection of
women’s rights movements.
• Identify ways in which students could
incorporate music into scene work.
• How can some of the activities of Augusto
Boal and Eugenio Barba be used for learning
purposes?
• Identify ways in which proper instruction in
movement for actors can support the
physical education requirements of the
general curriculum.
• How do theatrical periods and styles relate to
periods and styles in fine arts (e.g., visual art,
music, dance, film) throughout history?
P.
• Explain various methods of researching
historical events for use in theatrical
production.
Knows how to create learning activities that
place theatre in a social and historical context
1. Discussing and/or having classes create
performances that deal with contemporary
and historical issues and concerns in an
appropriate manner
2. Researching and creating re-enactments to
interpret historical events (e.g., 9/11 plays,
Hurricane Katrina projects, etc.)
3. Recognizing and discussing developments in
theatre as they relate to history and society
(e.g., introduction of female performers,
development of the Federal Theatre Project,
oral history theatre, etc.)
• What are some of the steps involved in
devising a collaborative creation for group
performance?
• What are some of the methods used to
gather information about community issues
and to generate a performance derived from
those issues?
Q. Is familiar with the interdisciplinary
connections between theatre and other
academic subjects (e.g., social studies,
science, mathematics)
1. Influence of other academic subjects on
theatrical materials and courses (e.g., influence
of science in certain play scripts, impact of
developments in visual art on scenic design,
use of mathematics in set design, importance
of writing skills and reading in theatre courses,
etc.)
2. Ways of supporting other subjects using
theatre activities and processes
4. Discussing issues contemporary with a play’s
historical context
3. Integration of theatre methods and practices
in the teaching and learning of other subjects
5. Exploring theatre as a reflection of society and
an instrument of social change
4. Collaboration with other faculty members
(e.g., history teacher helping with production
of The Grapes of Wrath, science on stage, etc.)
Discussion areas
• Explain how theatre has been used to
address social issues and concerns and why
it is a good vehicle to do so.
• Describe how Bertolt Brecht’s style is
particularly suited for dealing with social
problems.
The Praxis® Study Companion
5. Alignment and integration of curriculum
across subjects
Discussion areas
• Identify several plays and theatrical works
that have science or mathematics as subject
matter.
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Step 6: Review Study Topics
• Name several principles of the physics of
light that play a role in understanding
lighting design.
• At what points in various theatre production
classes should safety lessons and activities be
introduced?
• Evaluate a set design for its cost to build and
be used in production.
• What elements of vocal production must be
introduced before giving instruction on
accents and dialects?
• Identify ways to teach historical events
through theatrical activities.
S.
• Compare and contrast works of literature
with their representations in theatre and film.
1. Physical and emotional safety
2. Laws related to theatrical productions
• Explain how a history teacher could use
tableaux to deepen students’ understanding.
R.
Understands ethical and legal issues related
to theatre education and practice
3. Ethical issues with interactions among
administrators, teachers, students, and parents
• Identify ways to incorporate current
standards of English language arts,
mathematics, and social studies into theatre
lessons.
• Explain the safe use of various power tools to
a high school student.
• How do the concepts of STEM subjects
intersect with a typical theatre production?
• Identify ways to make a theatre classroom an
emotionally safe place for student actors.
• How can studying box office reports,
production budgets, and theatre
management strategies support the
development of financial literacy?
• Explain the prevailing rules for using
copyrighted materials and why copyrights
are important to the continuation of
theatrical art.
• How can Shakespeare’s history plays, such as
Julius Caesar and Henry V, be incorporated
into the study of world history?
• Explain the use of music in a production and
the best practices for how to obtain rights for
its legal use.
Discussion areas
Knows scope and sequence of curriculum
development in theatre
• Identify the ethical lines that should not be
crossed with regard to students and their
parents.
1. Recognizes how to align scope and sequence
with learning standards
• What are royalties in the context of play
production?
2. Knows the role of scope and sequence in
curriculum, unit, lesson, and activity planning
3. Knows how to evaluate student readiness
within scope and sequence and provide
appropriate differentiated instruction to meet
student needs
Discussion areas
• Explain a unit on acting with reference to
state and local theatre standards.
• Describe the scope of acting exercises from
kindergarten through twelfth grade.
• Explain the sequence for teaching theatre
technology in high school.
• At what point in the training process should
performance of different theatrical styles be
introduced?
The Praxis® Study Companion
• What is the scope of discussing casting
decisions with parents?
T.
Knows how to create a safe and supportive
learning environment to encourage student
participation within the artistic process
1. Fostering an environment of trust and
collaboration among all participants
2. Coaching and feedback that encourage
participation and improvement
3. Basic techniques for establishing and
maintaining standards of conduct for
discussions, critiques, and performance
activities
4. Ensuring access to learning opportunities for
everyone
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Step 6: Review Study Topics
Discussion areas
• Compare and contrast role playing with
realistic acting.
• Explain how to create a nurturing
environment for students in the theatre
classroom.
• Explain how tableaux can be used to teach
playwriting.
• Explain how to create a safe environment
during a rehearsal.
• Describe basic trust exercises and their use in
the theatre classroom.
• Describe the process of teaching students to
give and receive positive criticism in
classroom exercises and performance.
• Describe the parameters of peer casting (i.e.,
students casting other students in peerdirected productions).
• Identify the principles of appropriate
audience conduct in various theatrical
contexts.
• What are the basic acting rules regarding
physical contact in any situation?
• Identify the principles of appropriate
performer and crew conduct.
• Describe ways to facilitate the participation
of all of the students in a theatre classroom.
U. Knows how to use creative drama and process
drama techniques in the classroom
1. Theatre games and other exercises
2. Improvisations
3. Storytelling
4. Adaptation, interpretation, and performance
of literature
5. Role-play
V.
Is familiar with the theatre profession,
including current trends, possible career
paths, and other opportunities
1. Current trends in the theatre profession,
including trends in professional training and
development, and trends in professional and
amateur productions
2. Career opportunities in theatre and nontheatrical contexts
Discussion areas
• Identify a current trend in the theatre
profession and explain its significance to the
art form.
7. Devised theatre
• Compare and contrast three professional
training programs in terms of their strengths
and weaknesses.
8. Creative dramatics (e.g., acting out stories,
narrative pantomime)
• Identify how theatre skills and techniques
can be used in business careers.
6. Interactive theatre
9. Puppetry
10.Masks
11.Tableau
Discussion areas
• Identify three theatre games that are useful
for teaching collaboration in elementary,
middle, and high school classrooms.
• Describe approaches to devising theatrical
experiences to teach social issues.
• Explain the use of masks to explore
movement skills.
• Describe the process of adapting a work of
literature for the stage.
The Praxis® Study Companion
• Describe how the soft skills that are a
fundamental part of theatre production are
essential in health care and politics.
• Describe a voice actor’s work in theatre and
nontheatrical contexts.
• Describe current controversies regarding the
casting of roles written for women, LGTBQ
individuals, and members of racial minority
groups.
• List crossover employment opportunities for
stage directors.
• How has sound and projection design
changed in the past decade?
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Step 6: Review Study Topics
II. Creating and Performing
A.
• Choose a short fairy tale that would be
suitable for performance in a middle school
theatre class. What direction would you give
students to adapt that fairy tale into a play
script of a 2-3 pages?
Knows various methods for creating
performance material
1. Researching
2. Writing and revising scripts
3. Literary adaptation
Is familiar with major theoretical approaches
to acting
4. Adapting, editing, or modifying a script
1. Konstantin Stanislavski
5. Storytelling techniques
2. Jerzy Grotowski
6. Drama play
3. Uta Hagen
7. Creative dramatics
4. Viola Spolin
8. Process drama
5. Sanford Meisner
9. Theatre games
6. Lee Strasberg
10.Role playing
7. Stella Adler
11.Improvisation
8. Anne Bogart
12.Storyboarding
9. Augusto Boal
Discussion areas
Discussion areas
• Describe the process for selecting a play that
is suitable for a public high school.
• Identify and define the significance of Anne
Bogart and Tina Landau’s nine Viewpoints.
How might these be used in the theatre
classroom?
• You are directing a children’s show that will
be performed by your introductory theatre
class. What theatre games might you choose
in early rehearsals to prepare them for the
rehearsal and production process? Explain
your reason for choosing each game.
• What preliminary steps would you take to
create a devised theatrical production with
advanced-level high school students?
B.
C.
Knows how to teach students to select or
create appropriate performance material
1. Types of material to be selected or created
2. Knows script development and the writing
process and how to introduce it to students
3. Recognizes literary merit in various pieces of
performance material
4. Helps students evaluate and address their
own strengths and weaknesses when
selecting and creating appropriate
performance material
Discussion areas
• Create a list of fifteen plays that every high
school theatre student should read before
graduating. Explain your choices.
• Articulate the differences among fourth-wall
realism, improvisation, and forum theatre.
• What is method acting, and how is it
adapted to theatre education?
D. Understands the common approaches and
basic steps involved in creating a
performance (e.g., script analysis, character
development, improvisation)
1. Script analysis
2. Developing physical characterization
3. Developing voice and speech appropriate for
the character
4. Using improvisation approaches and
techniques
5. Rehearsal approaches and techniques
6. Understanding the importance of imagination
in the creation of a character
7. Understanding relationship of character to
other characters in the piece
8. Memorizing lines and blocking
9. Listening and responding to other performers
• What advice might you give to a young
writer with writer’s block?
The Praxis® Study Companion
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Step 6: Review Study Topics
E.
Discussion areas
7. Movement safety and basic health concerns
• Describe your process for creating a
character for a theatrical production, from
the moment you are cast to the final
performance of the production.
8. Spatial awareness
• Define “given circumstances,” and explain
their significance to script analysis.
11.Basic understanding of stage combat
10.Basic understanding of mime, pantomime,
and mask work
Discussion areas
• What guidance or suggestions would you
offer a student who is struggling to
memorize lines for an in-class scene or
production?
• What theatre exercises are appropriate for a
student who has difficulty standing still on
stage?
Understands the basic principles of vocal
production and technique (e.g., projection,
articulation, variety)
• What exercises are appropriate for a student
who appears physically uncomfortable on
stage?
1. Basic anatomy and maintenance of vocal
instrument
• What safety protocols and measures should
be taken before choreographing an onstage
fight that either is hand-to-hand combat or
involves a weapon such as a sword or knife?
2. Breath and support
3. Relaxation
4. Warm-ups
5. Projection
6. Pitch and tone
7. Articulation and enunciation
8. Dialect
9. Variety and contrast
10.Tempo, timing, and rhythm
Discussion areas
• What vocal exercises might you use when
working with student performers who are
struggling to project and articulate?
• What exercises might you use when working
with a student who lacks vocal and pitch
variety?
• What is the International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA), and how does it relate to work on
dialects and accents in performances
F.
9. Tempo, timing, and rhythm
Understands the basic principles of
movement, physicality, and expression
1. Basic anatomy and physiology
2. Basic kinesiology
3. Breath and its relationship to movement
4. Balance
5. Relaxation
G. Understands the basic elements of the
audition process
1. Types of auditions
2. Audition preparation
3. Running an audition
4. Nontraditional casting
5. Creating an ensemble
6. Understands the need for fairness and
providing opportunities for student growth
7. Ways to help students and parents deal
appropriately with audition results
8. Understands ethical considerations related to
auditions
Discussion areas
• Plan a one-to-two-day audition process for
the following two scenarios. Detail your
considerations for each audition, including
the type of audition format you will use,
whether lines should be memorized,
whether or not other individuals need to
attend the audition, etc.
–– You are directing a high school production of
West Side Story. Excitement and enthusiasm
are running high among the student
population, and you are anticipating an
audition turnout of approximately 150
students.
6. Warm-ups
The Praxis® Study Companion
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Step 6: Review Study Topics
Discussion areas
–– You are directing a classroom production of
“The Three Little Pigs” in your elementary
school class of fourteen students. In order to
create more performance opportunities for
the students, you will use two different casts,
each with one wolf, three pigs, and three
houses.
• Articulate appropriate and inappropriate
patron behavior during various types of
theatrical productions.
• What is the role of an audience during a
theatrical event? How do they contribute to
the overall meaning of a production?
• What guidance would you offer a student
preparing for a cattle call-style audition at a
local community theatre?
H. Understands the importance of considering
the audience when selecting and creating
performance material
1. Selecting appropriate material for school
theatre programs
2. Knows common issues and concerns
regarding censorship and how to address
them
3. Selecting appealing material that meets
student interests
4. Choosing and/or making material that is
relevant to a contemporary audience
5. Selecting challenging material
J.
Knows ways to use performance material and
theatrical exercises for developing and
refining student skills and knowledge
1. Knows how to select, develop, and coach
scenes from a variety of theatrical and nontheatrical sources for addressing specific
theatre skills and knowledge
2. Selecting improvisation exercises that address
specific theatre skills and knowledge
3. Adapting cross-curricular instructional
materials
Discussion areas
4. Using various technologies (e.g., video and
audio recording) for instructional purposes
• Choose two plays that would be suitable for
high school students to perform for family
and peers. Explain your choices.
5. Using performance material for instructional
and life-skill purposes
• Choose two plays suitable for middle school
students to perform for family and peers.
Explain your choices.
• Choose two plays suitable for elementary
school students to perform for mostly
parents and older siblings. Explain your
choices
I.
• What steps might you take to prepare
audiences for the differing experiences of
traditional realistic plays and plays that
involve audience participation?
Understands the role of the audience in
various performance contexts (e.g.,
traditional play, storytelling, classroom)
1. Audience expectations and reactions in
various contexts
2. Recognizes the audience’s role as a participant
in a variety of theatrical contexts
3. Knows how to engage the audience in a
variety of theatrical contexts
4. Recognizes when audience interaction is
appropriate and inappropriate in a variety of
theatrical contexts
The Praxis® Study Companion
Discussion areas
• You have been invited by a teacher
colleague in the history department to work
on a classroom performance project that will
dramatize the experience of the
Underground Railroad. The students have
limited or no performance experience. Plan a
series of improvisation games that will
prepare the students for the performance
project.
• You are the teacher in a high school
intermediate-level theatre class. Presumably
the students in the class did well enough to
advance from introductory level and have a
foundation of theatre knowledge and skills.
Design a duet scene assignment in which
students choose their own content to
perform, then memorize and present their
work to the class for a grade. Define the
parameters of the assignment, including the
time limit for the scene, acceptable source
material, etc. Additionally, create a rubric that
will be utilized to assess each performance.
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Step 6: Review Study Topics
What is your grading scale? What
performance elements will be assessed?
How will you accurately and fairly assess
each student?
K.
• Describe the standard blocking shorthand
used by stage managers.
B.
Knows how to observe student performances
and provide feedback that enhances those
performances
1. Performance roles, such as actor, dancer, singer,
chorus, puppeteer, and musician
2. Technical roles, such as designers, production
1. Recognizes and communicates appropriate
goals and outcomes for performance
assignments
manager, technical director, master electrician,
board operators, and stage crews
3. Production roles, such as director, stage
2. Knows techniques for providing effective sidecoaching
manager, producer, conductor, music director,
choreographer, fight director, dialect/vocal
coach, vocal director, house manager,
dramaturg, usher, pblic relations staff, box office
manager, and theatre critic
3. Knows techniques for facilitating peer
feedback sessions
4. Recognizes effective approaches for providing
individuals and groups with appropriate
feedback
Discussion areas
• Name and define the different individuals
responsible for the execution of a theatrical
event, such as a professional production at a
regional theatre.
5. Knows how to guide students in selfreflection
Discussion areas
• Name the different roles that make up frontof-house personnel and the responsibilities
of each role.
• Articulate what constructive criticism you
might give a student who is struggling to
connect with a scene partner and how you
might handle resistance to criticism.
• Articulate the responsibility of the stage
manager during a theatrical event.
• Choose three important performance
elements on which to grade beginning
middle school students who will prepare
five-minute scenes.
• Diagram the hierarchy of theatrical
production personnel during rehearsals.
Explain how that hierarchy might change
during performances.
III. Production
A.
• What is the difference between a production
manager and a technical director?
Understands standard theatre terminology
used in acting, directing, and technical
elements
• What kind of staffing can you expect to find
for typical Broadway musical? A regional
production of a nonmusical play? A college
production? A fringe festival show?
1. Acting terminology
2. Directing terminology
3. Technical theatre terminology
Discussion areas
Understands the various roles in theatre
production
C.
Understands key elements of production
(e.g., rehearsal, casting, set construction)
• Select and define ten theatre terms for areas
of focus (such as acting, directing, and
design) that you believe are essential for your
students to know.
1. Production timelines and scheduling
• List the terms currently in use to
communicate the concept of a character’s
objective.
4. Interrelationship of the key elements of a
production (e.g., technical elements
impacting the rehearsal schedule or how
design elements relate to one another)
• List basic blocking terms directors use to
communicate with actors.
The Praxis® Study Companion
2. Required staff and roles
3. Collaboration among all people working on a
production
48
Step 6: Review Study Topics
Discussion areas
Discussion areas
• Articulate the responsibilities of the director
up until the casting of a theatrical
production.
• You are teaching a theatre styles class for
your upper-level high school theatre
students. Create a reading list for your
students that includes ten modern or
contemporary plays, each of which has a
distinctly different theatrical style.
• Explain the function of load-in and light and
sound priority days.
• Create a schedule that maximizes the use of
actors during rehearsal. What factors need to
be considered when doing so?
• Describe the logistical complications of
street theatre.
• What differences between preparing to
direct musicals and nonmusical plays should
a teacher highlight with a high school
directing class?
• What is the difference between a paper tech,
a cue-to-cue, a technical rehearsal, and a
dress rehearsal? Are all these types of
rehearsals always necessary?
• Under what circumstances of theatrical
production should a high school theatre
program engage a fight choreographer? An
accent coach?
• What is the difference between paper
blocking and organic blocking? What are the
strengths and weakness of each?
D. Knows the processes of theatre operations/
management (e.g., producing, publicity, front
of house)
• How do the roles of light and sound
operators differ during an improvised
performance and a performance of scripted
material?
1. Producing responsibilities
2. Front-of-house responsibilities
Discussion areas
• Research the process of acquiring rights for
the production of a musical and how much it
would cost to produce the musical three
times for an average audience size of 350
patrons.
• Create and fill out a useful box office report.
• What is the basic structure of a marketing
plan?
• What is the basic structure of a press release?
E.
F.
Is familiar with the use of a variety of
technologies (e.g., software, projection) to
produce theatrical works
1. How various technologies can be used preproduction (e.g., computer-assisted design,
script-writing software, set construction
equipment)
2. How various technologies can be used during
productions (e.g., projections, sound effects,
microphones)
3. Documentation or archiving of performances
and portfolio creation
Discussion areas
Is familiar with the production of works in a
variety of theatre genres and styles (e.g.,
musicals, theatre for social change, theatre for
young audiences)
• Give an example of when the use of
audience cell phones can enhance rather
than detract from a theatrical event.
1. Production responsibilities common to all
genres and styles
• List different software that can be utilized for
set design, lighting design, and costume
design.
2. Production responsibilities specific to
particular genres, styles, and theatrical spaces,
such as the production of musicals, theatre for
young audiences, and theatre for social change
• How can the use of projections enhance a
theatrical production?
• How is wireless technology changing design
in the theatre?
• What is the best way to secure and use
production photographs?
The Praxis® Study Companion
49
Step 6: Review Study Topics
G. Understands key elements of the directing
process
2. Different skills related to various types and
styles of productions
1. Basic approaches to directing (e.g., organic
versus structured, time management, etc.)
Discussion areas
• Describe the fundamental material elements
of costume design, including costume
renderings, costume plots, etc.
2. Directing in various theatre spaces
3. Play selection and analysis
4. Developing a production concept or a unified
vision for the production
• Describe the fundamental material elements
of scenic design, including renderings,
ground plan, models, etc.
5. Knowing the stages of the production
process, including scheduling and planning
7. Collaboration with producers and/or
administrators
• Describe the design and technical challenges
posed by various theatrical spaces, including
proscenium, thrust, arena, environmental,
etc.
8. Collaboration with other teachers and
colleagues
• Enumerate the limitations that a thrust space
poses for scenic design.
6. Collaboration with designers
9. Collaboration with the local community
• Explain how the depth and length of a space
affects placement of projectors.
10.Auditions and casting
11.Rehearsal process
Discussion areas
• Describe the major elements of effective
script analysis.
• You are directing a middle school production
of James and the Giant Peach. From the first
rehearsal to the first performance is exactly
six weeks. Your school district places certain
restrictions on rehearsal time, including a
limit of ten hours of rehearsal per week (with
the exception of tech week, when rehearsal
time may be extended to fifteen hours for
the week). Create a rehearsal schedule and
plot out how you will use rehearsal time.
What do you want to accomplish in each
rehearsal? Be specific.
• Consider a production you have been a part
of that utilized a strong, well-envisioned
concept. What made the concept work? Why
was it effective? How did it aid the overall
success of the production?
• What types of material and analysis does a
director bring to a preliminary concept
meeting?
H. Knows the design and technical skills
required for a variety of theatre productions
and spaces
1. Different skills related to various types of
production spaces
The Praxis® Study Companion
• How does an arena stage affect light design?
I.
Understands current safety guidelines for
theatre spaces, classrooms, and productions
1. Age-appropriate safety guidelines and
practices within classrooms, rehearsal spaces,
shops and technical areas, and during
production phases
Discussion areas
• You are introducing first-year technical
theatre students to theatre scene shop tools.
Choose ten theatre tools that students will
use regularly during the course of the school
year and for each tool clearly articulate its
purpose, safety guidelines, and important
safety ware or accessories to accompany its
use.
• Describe the basic procedures in case of
injury during a rehearsal or performance.
• Create a basic list of protective equipment
for the theatre shop.
• What rules would you implement before
beginning an improvisation unit?
• You are training a first-time stage manager.
What responsibilities will you articulate to
the trainee to ensure the safety of actors
during the rehearsal process?
• Do you understand the role and format of
fight call?
50
Step 6: Review Study Topics
J.
Discussion areas
Knows key elements of lighting design and
production
• Name and describe the uses of the different
items of sound equipment in a theatrical
event.
1. Familiar with basic lighting instruments and
their uses (e.g., LEDs, par cans, ellipsoidals,
follow spots, tracking lights, etc.)
• You are teaching high school technical
theatre students the value of sound in a
nonmusical production. Choose a play and
clearly express how music and sound
decisions will enhance its production.
2. Familiar with lighting tools and technologies
(e.g., gels, gobos, software)
3. Familiar with light and color theory
4. Familiar with basic aspects of electrics (e.g.,
plugging in equipment, dimmer board, load
capabilities, etc.)
• How do sound effects, underscoring, and
music help tell a play’s story? Provide an
example.
5. Familiar with basic lighting areas and angles
(e.g., key light, back light, hot spot, etc.)
• Define pitch, volume, quality, direction and
duration in a sound design context.
6. Familiar with lighting cue sheets and
instrument schedules
• You are instructing students who will be
responsible for microphone packs for
performers in a high school musical. What
information do they need to know before
they begin their responsibilities?
7. Appropriate lighting practices for various
performance spaces
8. Uses of lighting to further storytelling
9. Use of lighting design to create the style,
mood, and world of the play
• What is the difference between a powered
and a nonpowered mixer?
10.Unifying lighting design with the production’s
vision
Discussion areas
• Describe the major kinds of lighting
instruments and their specific uses when
lighting a theatrical event.
• Describe and draft a basic five-point light
plot.
• Define intensity, color, direction, focus, and
movement in the context of light design.
• Describe the concept of dimmer load and its
importance in theatre safety.
• Why is it important for a lighting designer to
discuss color choices with the set designer
and costume designer before implementing
colors into a design?
K.
Knows key elements of sound design and
production
1. Familiar with basic sound tools and
technologies
2. Use of sound design to create the style, mood,
and world of the play
The Praxis® Study Companion
L.
Knows script analysis as it applies to the
design and technical aspects of theatre
1. Role and process of script analysis in the work
of designers
Discussion areas
• What information in a script is necessary for
theatrical designers to consider before they
begin the design process?
• What kinds of research might a costume
designer conduct in order to inform her or
his design?
• How can an underdeveloped directorial
concept inhibit a designer’s creative?
• How do costumes help support the structure
of a play?
• What are some techniques used to identify
the main theme(s) of a play?
• How can the imagery in the text of a play
affect visual design?
51
Step 6: Review Study Topics
Discussion areas
M. Knows the key elements of scenic and
property design and construction
• Articulate a basic approach to aging a face
utilizing theatrical makeup.
1. Types of theatre spaces
2. Familiar with basic types of sets and set
designs
• Create a shopping list of basic makeup tools
every beginning actor should have in his or
her makeup kit.
3. Familiar with tools and processes for set
design and construction, including safety
considerations (e.g., rigging)
• Create a handout for first-time actors
explaining proper costume care during a
theatrical event.
4. Familiar with tools and techniques for painting
scenery
• Describe the use of costume plates, standard
actor measurements, and costume
schedules.
5. Use of set design to create the style, mood,
and world of the play
6. Unifying set design with the production’s
vision
• What are the basic safety rules of makeup in
the theatre?
7. Property design, selection, and construction
consistent with the world of the play
Discussion areas
• Choose a play for which one might desire a
representational scenic design. Explain your
choice.
IV. History, Literature, and Criticism
A.
Understands how to respond to, analyze, and
critique theatrical works in a variety of genres
and styles
1. Responding both affectively and cognitively
to theatrical works and performances
• Choose a play for which one might desire a
presentational scenic design. Explain your
choice.
2. Analyzing theatrical works and performances
3. Critiquing theatrical works and performances
• What is Masonite, and what is it primarily
used for in theatrical production?
4. Knows how to respond to, analyze, and
critique performance works in a variety of
media (e.g., radio, stage, film, television,
multimedia)
• What size and type of material is typically
used for flat construction?
• What are sponging, combing, and marbling?
Discussion areas
• What is the difference between a box set and
a unit set?
• Identify the most important components of
a review of a theatrical production.
N. Knows key elements of costuming a
production, and is familiar with stage makeup
design and application
• Explain how to write reviews of student and
professional productions.
• Describe how to evaluate acting, directing,
and design in a theatrical performance.
1. Basic elements of costume and makeup
design
• Explain the cultural value of critiquing and
criticism to students.
2. Basic techniques of costume and makeup
design and production/application
3. Familiar with care, health, and safety
considerations related to costumes and
makeup
4. Use of costume and makeup design to reveal
character, mood, and the world of the play
5. Unifying costume and makeup design with
the production’s vision
The Praxis® Study Companion
• Compare and contrast acting styles in film,
theatre, and radio (voice-over).
B.
Understands the importance of theatre and
its impact on society and history
1. Role of theatre in various periods and cultures
2. Theatre as it reflects and/or influences society
and history, both past and present
52
Step 6: Review Study Topics
Discussion areas
2. Various performance perspectives, including
feminist theatre; theatre from various ethnic
• Explain the role and significance of theatre in
ancient Greek culture.
groups; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
theatre; political theatre; religious theatre; and
indigenous theatre
• Explain how people’s desire for the theatre
influenced the attitude of the Roman
Catholic Church during the Middle Ages.
Discussion areas
• Discuss the ways in which contemporary
theatre artists like Peter Brook and Tadashi
Suzuki make use of historical theatrical
traditions.
• Discuss the influence of Zen Buddhism on
the development of Noh theatre in Japan.
• Identify the groups both for and against
Elizabethan theatre (e.g., business leaders,
church leaders, politicians, the people,
royalty) and explain how they influenced
theatrical production during the time period.
• Describe the development of feminist
theatre in the United States.
• Identify the influence of religion on various
theatrical traditions throughout history.
• Discuss how Restoration comedy in England
can be seen as a reaction against the Puritan
regime.
• Explain how the incorporation of social
issues in Realism changed society in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
• Discuss how theatre helped influence
political change in apartheid-era South
Africa.
C.
Understands the principles of theatre
etiquette as a participant and a spectator
1. Appropriate behavior for participants (e.g.,
actors, directors, crew, front of house, etc.)
2. Appropriate audience behavior in different
performance settings
• Discuss the impact of theatre and
performance on the emergence of identity
politics in the late twentieth century (e.g., the
women’s rights movement, the civil rights
movement, the LGBTQ movement).
E.
Knows the development of theatre in key
historical periods
1. Classical theatre: Greek and Roman
2. Key periods of European theatre
3. American theatre
4. Modernist and post-modernist theatre
5. Key periods and styles of non-western theatre
Discussion areas
Discussion areas
• Compare and contrast Aeschylus, Sophocles,
and Euripides.
• Describe the importance of audience
etiquette during a live performance.
• Discuss Aristotle’s Poetics and the influence it
has on theatre studies.
• Explain how an actor can best accept
criticism from a director and incorporate it
into his or her characterization.
• Describe the major characteristics of
commedia dell’arte.
• Explain why crew etiquette is important to
the success of a production.
• Describe appropriate actor etiquette s during
rehearsal and performance.
D. Knows theatre traditions from a variety of
cultures and perspectives
1. Historical and contemporary world theatre
traditions
The Praxis® Study Companion
• Describe the theatre and drama of the
Spanish Golden Age.
• Explain the evolution and significance of
French neoclassical principles.
• Describe the theatrical innovations that
originated in the avant garde movements of
the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries (e.g., surrealism; Dada).
53
Step 6: Review Study Topics
• Identify leading theatrical trends in the
twentieth century and discuss how they
influence productions in the twenty-first
century.
• Explain the development of the musical in
the United States.
1. Major playwrights and key works of dramatic
literature (e.g., Sophocles, Shakespeare,
Molière, Ibsen, Chekhov, Hansberry, Beckett,
etc.)
• Discuss the importance of storytelling in the
history of African performance.
2. How works relate to periods and cultures from
which they come
• Describe the three major forms of classical
Japanese theatre: Noh, Bunraku, and Kabuki.
3. Analyzing performance and literary elements
in key works of dramatic literature
• Describe the major elements of Sanskrit
drama and performance in India.
• Discuss the ways in which Western theatre
and drama influenced the development of
Asian theatre in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries.
F.
G. Understands how to respond to, analyze, and
critique key works of dramatic literature from
different historical periods and cultures
Is familiar with current developments in
theatre
1. Broadway, Off-Broadway, West End, and
regional theatre
2. Theatre for young audiences
3. Theatre for social change
4. Major contemporary playwrights, directors,
and production companies
5. Major developments in world theatre
Discussion areas
• Discuss the influence of Broadway on
contemporary theatre in the United States.
• Compare and contrast Broadway theatre in
New York City with West End theatre in
London.
• Identify three current innovators in theatre
and explain their importance.
• Compare and contrast contemporary theatre
in two different countries.
Discussion areas
• Describe individual elements and typical
features of plays from the European Middle
Ages (e.g., Everyman, Mankind, The Second
Shepherds’ Play).
• Compare and contrast the writing styles and
thematic concerns of the works of realistic
playwrights (e.g., Henrik Ibsen, August
Strindberg, Anton Chekhov).
• Discuss how one of Samuel Beckett’s plays
(e.g., Waiting for Godot, Endgame, or Krapp’s
Last Tape) demonstrates the elements of
theatre of the absurd.
• Explain how the Greeks viewed foreigners,
women, and mental illness as evidenced by
Euripides’ Medea or Aeschylus’ Agamemnon.
• Explain how Arthur Miller’s description of the
setting in Death of a Salesman is a reflection
of the conflict within Willy Loman.
• Discuss how Shakespeare used poetic
techniques (e.g., levels of diction, rhythm,
verse vs. prose, varied meters) to develop the
characters in his plays.
• Choose two plays from different time periods
and cultures and discuss how they were
written for different styles of performance.
• Explain how theatre for social change is
different from commercial theatre.
• Identify three local theatre companies in
your area and describe their current seasons,
discussing the impact of regional theatre on
the community.
The Praxis® Study Companion
54
Step 7: Review Smart Tips for Success
7. Review Smart Tips for Success
Follow test-taking tips developed by experts
Learn from the experts. Take advantage of the following answers to questions you may have and practical tips
to help you navigate the Praxis test and make the best use of your time.
Should I guess?
Yes. Your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly, with no penalty or subtraction for an
incorrect answer. When you don’t know the answer to a question, try to eliminate any obviously wrong answers
and then guess at the correct one. Try to pace yourself so that you have enough time to carefully consider
every question.
Can I answer the questions in any order?
You can answer the questions in order or skip questions and come back to them later. If you skip a question,
you can also mark it so that you can remember to return and answer it later. Remember that questions left
unanswered are treated the same as questions answered incorrectly, so it is to your advantage to answer every
question.
Are there trick questions on the test?
No. There are no hidden meanings or trick questions. All of the questions on the test ask about subject matter
knowledge in a straightforward manner.
Are there answer patterns on the test?
No. You might have heard this myth: the answers on tests follow patterns. Another myth is that there will never
be more than two questions in a row with the correct answer in the same position among the choices. Neither
myth is true. Select the answer you think is correct based on your knowledge of the subject.
Can I write on the scratch paper I am given?
Yes. You can work out problems on the scratch paper, make notes to yourself, or write anything at all. Your
scratch paper will be destroyed after you are finished with it, so use it in any way that is helpful to you. But make
sure to select or enter your answers on the computer.
Smart Tips for Taking the Test
1. S
kip the questions you find extremely difficult. Rather than trying to answer these on your first pass
through the test, you may want to leave them blank and mark them so that you can return to them later.
Pay attention to the time as you answer the rest of the questions on the test, and try to finish with 10 or
15 minutes remaining so that you can go back over the questions you left blank. Even if you don’t know
the answer the second time you read the questions, see if you can narrow down the possible answers, and
then guess. Your score is based on the number of right answers, so it is to your advantage to answer every
question.
The Praxis® Study Companion
55
Step 7: Review Smart Tips for Success
2. K
eep track of the time. The on-screen clock will tell you how much time you have left. You will probably
have plenty of time to answer all of the questions, but if you find yourself becoming bogged down, you
might decide to move on and come back to any unanswered questions later.
3. R
ead all of the possible answers before selecting one. For questions that require you to select more
than one answer, or to make another kind of selection, consider the most likely answers given what the
question is asking. Then reread the question to be sure the answer(s) you have given really answer the
question. Remember, a question that contains a phrase such as “Which of the following does NOT …” is
asking for the one answer that is NOT a correct statement or conclusion.
4. C
heck your answers. If you have extra time left over at the end of the test, look over each question and
make sure that you have answered it as you intended. Many test takers make careless mistakes that they
could have corrected if they had checked their answers.
5. D
on’t worry about your score when you are taking the test. No one is expected to answer all of the
questions correctly. Your score on this test is not analogous to your score on the GRE® or other tests. It doesn’t
matter on the Praxis tests whether you score very high or barely pass. If you meet the minimum passing
scores for your state and you meet the state’s other requirements for obtaining a teaching license, you will
receive a license. In other words, what matters is meeting the minimum passing score. You can find passing
scores for all states that use the Praxis tests at http://www.ets.org/s/praxis/pdf/passing_scores.pdf or on
the web site of the state for which you are seeking certification/licensure.
6. U
se your energy to take the test, not to get frustrated by it. Getting frustrated only increases stress
and decreases the likelihood that you will do your best. Highly qualified educators and test development
professionals, all with backgrounds in teaching, worked diligently to make the test a fair and valid measure
of your knowledge and skills. Your state painstakingly reviewed the test before adopting it as a licensure
requirement. The best thing to do is concentrate on answering the questions.
The Praxis® Study Companion
56
Step 8: Check on Testing Accommodations
8. Check on Testing Accommodations
See if you qualify for accommodations that may make it easier to take the Praxis test
What if English is not my primary language?
Praxis tests are given only in English. If your primary language is not English (PLNE), you may be eligible for
extended testing time. For more details, visit www.ets.org/praxis/register/plne_accommodations/.
What if I have a disability or other health-related need?
The following accommodations are available for Praxis test takers who meet the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) Amendments Act disability requirements:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
E xtended testing time
Additional rest breaks
Separate testing room
Writer/recorder of answers
Test reader
Sign language interpreter for spoken directions only
Perkins Brailler
Braille slate and stylus
Printed copy of spoken directions
Oral interpreter
Audio test
Braille test
Large print test book
Large print answer sheet
Listening section omitted
For more information on these accommodations, visit www.ets.org/praxis/register/disabilities.
Note: Test takers who have health-related needs requiring them to bring equipment, beverages, or snacks into
the testing room or to take extra or extended breaks must request these accommodations by following the
procedures described in the Bulletin Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities or Health-Related Needs (PDF),
which can be found at http://www.ets.org/s/disabilities/pdf/bulletin_supplement_test_takers_with_
disabilities_health_needs.pdf.
You can find additional information on available resources for test takers with disabilities or health-related needs
at www.ets.org/disabilities.
The Praxis® Study Companion
57
Step 9: Do Your Best on Test Day
9. Do Your Best on Test Day
Get ready for test day so you will be calm and confident
You followed your study plan. You prepared for the test. Now it’s time to prepare for test day.
Plan to end your review a day or two before the actual test date so you avoid cramming. Take a dry run to the
test center so you’re sure of the route, traffic conditions, and parking. Most of all, you want to eliminate any
unexpected factors that could distract you from your ultimate goal—passing the Praxis test!
On the day of the test, you should:
• be well rested
• wear comfortable clothes and dress in layers
• eat before you take the test
• bring an acceptable and valid photo identification with you
• bring an approved calculator only if one is specifically permitted for the test you are taking (see Calculator
Use, at http://www.ets.org/praxis/test_day/policies/calculators)
• be prepared to stand in line to check in or to wait while other test takers check in
You can’t control the testing situation, but you can control yourself. Stay calm. The supervisors are well trained
and make every effort to provide uniform testing conditions, but don’t let it bother you if the test doesn’t start
exactly on time. You will have the allotted amount of time once it does start.
You can think of preparing for this test as training for an athletic event. Once you’ve trained, prepared, and
rested, give it everything you’ve got.
What items am I restricted from bringing into the test center?
You cannot bring into the test center personal items such as:
• handbags, knapsacks, or briefcases
• water bottles or canned or bottled beverages
• study materials, books, or notes
• p
ens, pencils, scrap paper, or calculators, unless specifically permitted for the test you are taking (see
Calculator Use, at http://www.ets.org/praxis/test_day/policies/calculators)
• any electronic, photographic, recording, or listening devices
Personal items are not allowed in the testing room and will not be available to you during the test or during
breaks. You may also be asked to empty your pockets. At some centers, you will be assigned a space to store
your belongings, such as handbags and study materials. Some centers do not have secure storage space
available, so please plan accordingly.
Test centers assume no responsibility for your personal items.
The Praxis® Study Companion
58
Step 9: Do Your Best on Test Day
If you have health-related needs requiring you to bring equipment, beverages or snacks into the testing
room or to take extra or extended breaks, you need to request accommodations in advance. Procedures for
requesting accommodations are described in the Bulletin Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities or
Health-related Needs (PDF).
Note: All cell phones, smart phones (e.g., Android® devices, iPhones®, etc.), and other electronic, photographic,
recording, or listening devices are strictly prohibited from the test center. If you are seen with such a device, you
will be dismissed from the test, your test scores will be canceled, and you will forfeit your test fees. If you are
seen using such a device, the device will be confiscated and inspected. For more information on what you can
bring to the test center, visit www.ets.org/praxis/test_day/bring.
Are You Ready?
Complete this checklist to determine whether you are ready to take your test.
❒ Do you know the testing requirements for the license or certification you are seeking in the state(s) where
you plan to teach?
❒ Have you followed all of the test registration procedures?
❒ Do you know the topics that will be covered in each test you plan to take?
❒ Have you reviewed any textbooks, class notes, and course readings that relate to the topics covered?
❒ Do you know how long the test will take and the number of questions it contains?
❒ Have you considered how you will pace your work?
❒ Are you familiar with the types of questions for your test?
❒ Are you familiar with the recommended test-taking strategies?
❒ Have you practiced by working through the practice questions in this study companion or in a study
guide or practice test?
❒ If constructed-response questions are part of your test, do you understand the scoring criteria for
these questions?
❒ If you are repeating a Praxis test, have you analyzed your previous score report to determine areas where
additional study and test preparation could be useful?
If you answered “yes” to the questions above, your preparation has paid off. Now take the Praxis test, do your
best, pass it—and begin your teaching career!
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Step 10: Understand Your Scores
10. Understand Your Scores
Understand how tests are scored and how to interpret your test scores
Of course, passing the Praxis test is important to you so you need to understand what your scores mean and
what your state requirements are.
What are the score requirements for my state?
States, institutions, and associations that require the tests set their own passing scores. Visit
www.ets.org/praxis/states for the most up-to-date information.
If I move to another state, will my new state accept my scores?
The Praxis tests are part of a national testing program, meaning that they are required in many states for
licensure. The advantage of a national program is that if you move to another state that also requires Praxis tests,
you can transfer your scores. Each state has specific test requirements and passing scores, which you can find at
www.ets.org/praxis/states.
How do I know whether I passed the test?
Your score report will include information on passing scores for the states you identified as recipients of your
test results. If you test in a state with automatic score reporting, you will also receive passing score information
for that state.
A list of states and their passing scores for each test are available online at www.ets.org/praxis/states.
What your Praxis scores mean
You received your score report. Now what does it mean? It’s important to interpret your score report correctly
and to know what to do if you have questions about your scores.
Visit http://www.ets.org/s/praxis/pdf/sample_score_report.pdf to see a sample score report.
To access Understanding Your Praxis Scores, a document that provides additional information on how to read
your score report, visit www.ets.org/praxis/scores/understand.
Put your scores in perspective
Your score report indicates:
• Your score and whether you passed
• The range of possible scores
• The raw points available in each content category
• The range of the middle 50 percent of scores on the test
If you have taken the same Praxis test or other Praxis tests in the last 10 years, your score report also lists the
highest score you earned on each test taken.
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Step 10: Understand Your Scores
Content category scores and score interpretation
Questions on the Praxis tests are categorized by content. To help you in future study or in preparing to retake
the test, your score report shows how many raw points you earned in each content category. Compare your
“raw points earned” with the maximum points you could have earned (“raw points available”). The greater the
difference, the greater the opportunity to improve your score by further study.
Score scale changes
ETS updates Praxis tests on a regular basis to ensure they accurately measure the knowledge and skills that are
required for licensure. When tests are updated, the meaning of the score scale may change, so requirements
may vary between the new and previous versions. All scores for previous, discontinued tests are valid and
reportable for 10 years, provided that your state or licensing agency still accepts them.
These resources may also help you interpret your scores:
• Understanding Your Praxis Scores (PDF), found at www.ets.org/praxis/scores/understand
• T he Praxis Passing Scores (PDF), found at www.ets.org/praxis/scores/understand
• State requirements, found at www.ets.org/praxis/states
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Appendix: Other Questions You May Have
Appendix: Other Questions You May Have
Here is some supplemental information that can give you a better understanding of the Praxis tests.
What do the Praxis tests measure?
The Praxis tests measure the specific knowledge and skills that beginning teachers need. The tests do not
measure an individual’s disposition toward teaching or potential for success, nor do they measure your actual
teaching ability. The assessments are designed to be comprehensive and inclusive but are limited to what can
be covered in a finite number of questions and question types. Teaching requires many complex skills that are
typically measured in other ways, including classroom observation, video recordings, and portfolios.
Ranging from Agriculture to World Languages, there are more than 80 Praxis tests, which contain selectedresponse questions or constructed-response questions, or a combination of both.
Who takes the tests and why?
Some colleges and universities use the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests (Reading, Writing, and
Mathematics) to evaluate individuals for entry into teacher education programs. The assessments are generally
taken early in your college career. Many states also require Core Academic Skills test scores as part of their
teacher licensing process.
Individuals entering the teaching profession take the Praxis content and pedagogy tests as part of the teacher
licensing and certification process required by many states. In addition, some professional associations and
organizations require Praxis Subject Assessments for professional licensing.
Do all states require these tests?
The Praxis tests are currently required for teacher licensure in approximately 40 states and United States
territories. These tests are also used by several professional licensing agencies and by several hundred colleges
and universities. Teacher candidates can test in one state and submit their scores in any other state that requires
Praxis testing for licensure. You can find details at www.ets.org/praxis/states.
What is licensure/certification?
Licensure in any area—medicine, law, architecture, accounting, cosmetology—is an assurance to the public that
the person holding the license possesses sufficient knowledge and skills to perform important occupational
activities safely and effectively. In the case of teacher licensing, a license tells the public that the individual has
met predefined competency standards for beginning teaching practice.
Because a license makes such a serious claim about its holder, licensure tests are usually quite demanding. In
some fields, licensure tests have more than one part and last for more than one day. Candidates for licensure
in all fields plan intensive study as part of their professional preparation. Some join study groups, others study
alone. But preparing to take a licensure test is, in all cases, a professional activity. Because a licensure exam
surveys a broad body of knowledge, preparing for a licensure exam takes planning, discipline, and sustained
effort.
Why does my state require the Praxis tests?
Your state chose the Praxis tests because they assess the breadth and depth of content—called the “domain”—
that your state wants its teachers to possess before they begin to teach. The level of content knowledge,
reflected in the passing score, is based on recommendations of panels of teachers and teacher educators in
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Appendix: Other Questions You May Have
each subject area. The state licensing agency and, in some states, the state legislature ratify the passing scores
that have been recommended by panels of teachers.
How were the tests developed?
E T S consulted with practicing teachers and teacher educators around the country during every step of
the Praxis test development process. First, E T S asked them what knowledge and skills a beginning teacher
needs to be effective. Their responses were then ranked in order of importance and reviewed by hundreds of
teachers.
After the results were analyzed and consensus was reached, guidelines, or specifications, for the selectedresponse and constructed-response tests were developed by teachers and teacher educators. Following these
guidelines, teachers and professional test developers created test questions that met content requirements and
E T S Standards for Quality and Fairness.*
When your state adopted the research-based Praxis tests, local panels of teachers and teacher educators
evaluated each question for its relevance to beginning teachers in your state. During this “validity study,” the
panel also provided a passing-score recommendation based on how many of the test questions a beginning
teacher in your state would be able to answer correctly. Your state’s licensing agency determined the final
passing-score requirement.
E T S follows well-established industry procedures and standards designed to ensure that the tests measure what
they are intended to measure. When you pass the Praxis tests your state requires, you are proving that you have
the knowledge and skills you need to begin your teaching career.
How are the tests updated to ensure the content remains current?
Praxis tests are reviewed regularly. During the first phase of review, E T S conducts an analysis of relevant state
and association standards and of the current test content. State licensure titles and the results of relevant
job analyses are also considered. Revised test questions are then produced following the standard test
development methodology. National advisory committees may also be convened to review and revise existing
test specifications and to evaluate test forms for alignment with the specifications.
How long will it take to receive my scores?
Scores for tests that do not include constructed-response questions are available on screen immediately after
the test. Scores for tests that contain constructed-response questions or essays aren’t available immediately after
the test because of the scoring process involved. Official score reports are available to you and your designated
score recipients approximately two to three weeks after the test date for tests delivered continuously, or two to
three weeks after the testing window closes for other tests. See the test dates and deadlines calendar at www.
ets.org/praxis/register/centers_dates for exact score reporting dates.
Can I access my scores on the web?
All test takers can access their test scores via My Praxis Account free of charge for one year from the posting
date. This online access replaces the mailing of a paper score report.
The process is easy—simply log into My Praxis Account at www.ets.org/praxis and click on your score report. If
you do not already have a Praxis account, you must create one to view your scores.
Note: You must create a Praxis account to access your scores, even if you registered by mail or phone.
*E T S Standards for Quality and Fairness (2014, Princeton, N.J.) are consistent with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing,
industry standards issued jointly by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the
National Council on Measurement in Education (2014, Washington, D.C.).
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Your teaching career is worth preparing for, so start today!
Let the Praxis® Study Companion guide you.
To search for the Praxis test prep resources
that meet your specific needs, visit:
www.ets.org/praxis/testprep
To purchase official test prep made by the creators
of the Praxis tests, visit the E T S Store:
www.ets.org/praxis/store
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